In Unexpected Places
by Sparkling Patronus
Summary: [Musicalverse] AU Fiyero never went to Shiz, and so he never met Elphaba, but he is engaged to Glinda as part of an arranged marriage. His greatest fear is the Wicked Witch of the West, so what happens when he is taken as her captive? Fiyeraba
1. Practically Perfect

**Title: In Unexpected Places**

**Rating: T **

**Pairings: FiyeroxElphaba**

**Summary: Fiyero never went to Shiz, and so he never met Elphaba, but he is engaged to Glinda as part of an arranged marriage. His greatest fear if the Wicked Witch of the West, so what happens when he is taken as her captive? **

**Hello peoples, I'm back with another story, this time a multi-chapter. I'm quite excited about this one, for it's my first centering on Fiyero and Elphaba. It's also quite AU, and I think I'm going to have fun writing it. I was working on the fourth chapter of another story last night, when I realized I wasn't really very interested in it, so I turned around and started this instead.**

**Now, I have none of this written in advance, and so that means I'm making no promises about updates for this story. I could update after two days, two weeks, two months, whatever. Luckily, school is coming to a close, and so updates should come rather quickly. However, I'm making no promises, and I'm not really going to stress myself out with deadlines for this fic.**

**Anyways, here's the firs chapter. Enjoy.**

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Fiyero rolled over in bed, smiling sleepily at the woman who lay beside him. She was still asleep, her back turned toward him, and her beautiful blond curls hung like a curtain in front of Fiyero's face. Grinning and still half asleep, he reached out and tugged on one of the curls, watching with fascination as it immediately sprang back into place. Glinda's hair had always fascinated him, ever since he'd first met her.

He rolled over in bed, still smiling blissfully, as he recalled the first time he'd ever laid eyes on the woman beside him. It had been a meeting arranged by their parents when the two had still been in college. She'd been attending Shiz University, and he a prestigious school in the Vinkus, although the only reason he was able to remain there was the fact that his father donated large sums of money to the establishment. He'd never been one to care about his school work. After all, life was far more enjoyable when you didn't let yourself worry or care too much about that sort of thing. What was the point of living if you never enjoyed yourself? His parents, unfortunately, did not share his philosophy, and so they'd hoped that by arranging a marriage for their son they'd be able to get his head out of the clouds.

That was how he'd come to meet Miss Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands (who had changed her name to Glinda during her college days for reasons she'd never quite cared to share with him), and the two had connected immediately. After all, they'd had quite a lot in common, for both were popular, rich, and virtually perfect. It was decided then that the two would finish college, and afterwards be engaged. This was all very agreeable, and no one saw fault with this plan.

However, before the end of their college days, something had happened to Glinda. She'd gone off to the Emerald City with some friend named Elphaba, who Fiyero had never met, and she had returned alone. Fiyero had never found out what had happened to this friend, but since that incident Glinda had never quite been the same. Sure, she was still perky, bubbly Glinda, but there was something different about her now. She didn't show it very often, but Fiyero could tell that she took things a lot more seriously, and he'd even caught her lost in thought on a few occasions. However, Glinda had never really spoken about any of this with Fiyero, and so he'd just been forced to fill in the blanks himself. He knew that it had been during Glinda's visit to the Emerald City that the Wicked Witch of the West had begun her reign of terror, and so Fiyero assumed that Glinda's friend had been one of the Witch's first victims.

Fiyero shuddered as he though of the Wicked Witch of the West. He would never admit it to anyone, but there was no one and nothing that he feared more. He'd only ever heard stories about the Witch's treacherous deeds, but that alone was enough to instill a sense of terror in his heart. The woman was an unnatural shade of green, and apparently possessed frightening power and magical abilities. She flew about Oz on an enchanted broomstick, hexing innocent civilians and spreading horrible lies about the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Fiyero certainly never wanted to run into her if he could help it. Unfortunately, the fact that he was at the forefront of the hunt for her did nothing to help his situation.

Shortly after college, Glinda had suddenly been offered a very important political position, for reasons unknown to Fiyero. However, he did not question it, for Glinda's acceptance of the position meant a very promising future for the two of them after graduation. Upon hearing of their impending marriage, the Wizard had offered Fiyero a position as well: captain of the Gale Force. This had seemed like a great thing at first, until he'd realized what the acceptance of that job entailed.

Apparently the Wizard's primary concern at the moment was the capture of the Wicked Witch of the West, and for good reason. The woman was an extremely dangerous threat, and it was imperative that she be taken care of immediately. Now, this was all well and good, but it meant that, as head of the guard, Fiyero was the one on whose shoulders this task fell. That meant that he was constantly marching out to the farthest corners of Oz on a search for someone he really didn't want to find. Regardless, he put on a brave front and did what he needed to, for he really had no choice in the matter. Luckily, for the past two years of searching, they'd not seen hide nor hair of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Fiyero was suddenly broken from his musings as the woman next to him began to stir and finally awoke. He rolled back over to face her just as she gave a dainty yawn and turned toward him. The two smiled as their eyes met and after a moment they shared a brief and rather drowsy kiss. Wrinkling his nose at Glinda's morning breath, Fiyero finally pulled away and rolled out of bed.

As his feet hit the carpet, he took a quick glance around the bedroom. It was certainly big enough, probably the size of a small Munchkinland home, even if it was not one of the largest rooms in the Emerald Palace. Almost everything in the room was a stunning shade of emerald green, which was gorgeous at first but grew a bit boring to look at after a while. The only other color in the room was pink, which seemed to dominate ever piece of Glinda's furniture in the form of small ribbons or trinkets. He'd allowed her to redecorate without any sort of opposition, though it was his personal opinion that the pink and green clashed a bit.

Fiyero suddenly let out a very loud yawn and stretched rather dramatically, practically bending himself over backwards. Glinda was a bit more ladylike. She stepped out of bed slowly, smoothing the covers out behind her, then gave another short yawn, her dainty fingers flying up to cover her mouth, before stepping into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. Fiyero shook his head slightly as he watched her, smiling good naturedly. Glinda was nothing if not a society girl, and that was part of the reason she was so popular among the Ozians. Fiyero was not sure exactly what her position entailed, but it seemed like she was there to raise the Ozians' spirits in a time of such turmoil. It was an admirable task in his opinion.

Finally tearing his eyes from the bathroom door, he sighed reluctantly and moved toward his closet to prepare himself for his own job. The Wizard apparently had a lead on the whereabouts of the Witch, and he wanted Fiyero to organize a group and begin searching immediately. Fiyero, of course, obeyed readily, but always felt the same sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The Witch was excellent at evasion, but she couldn't run forever. What happened when he and his men suddenly found themselves face to face with the evil woman? What was their plan? Would they be able to successfully capture her or would she kill them all before they could get within ten feet of her?

Fiyero tried to push these unpleasant thoughts from his mind as he began to pull on the emerald green pants of his Gale Force uniform. This was the sort of thing he worried about each and every day, though he never mentioned it to anyone. Even the other guards didn't seem quite as frightened as he did. They chased after the Witch with a sort of feverish determination, always wanted to go the extra mile or search the extra cave. Fiyero wondered why he was the only one who had a deathly fear of the Witch.

Even Glinda didn't seem to have the same reaction to the woman as he did. Then again, Glinda's reaction to anything related to the Witch was anything but normal. In most cases a person's eyes either blazed with fury or widened in fear at the mention of the vile woman, but Glinda was another story altogether. Instead of either of these reactions, her eyes seemed briefly to fill with great sadness, before she turned away and attempted to change the subject. No one else seemed to notice this, but Fiyero had picked up on the pattern after living with her for a few months. However, he'd never questioned her on this, for he assumed the reaction stemmed, as did everything else with Glinda, from that long ago incident in the Emerald City.

Glinda exited the bathroom about five minutes later, just as Fiyero was buttoning his green and gold blazer. He marveled at the fact that Glinda could look as though she'd been primping for hours with only ten minutes in front of a mirror. He moved toward her as she began shifting through some dresses in her closet, and she jumped as one of his arms moved around her waist.

"Oh! Fiyero dearest, you scared me," she squealed, flashing him one of her one hundred watt smiles. He couldn't help but grin back as he leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips, one that she returned eagerly.

When they finally pulled away, Glinda asked, "Why are you in uniform so early in the morning?"

"The Wizard wants me to mobilize the troops and begin the search as soon as possible. He apparently has a lead on the Witch's whereabouts and wants us to find her before she has a chance to get moving again," he replied, trying to keep the uncertainty out of his voice.

As predicted, Glinda looked a bit put off by the news, but immediately tried to hide it as she said, "Oh well, safe travels. Now, I really must pick out a dress. Which of these do you like better?" Fiyero watched as she held up two dresses, both of which he thought looked exactly the same save for their color. After a quick mental game of eeny miny mo, he finally pointed to a blue dress and Glinda smiled gaily as she disappeared back into the bathroom to put it on.

Fiyero smiled one last time, before he remembered the task at hand and turned to leave the room. He had to wake his men, and once they were all dressed and ready they would report to the Wizard's chamber for further instruction. Fiyero sighed, for he knew the next few days were not going to be easy. If his luck held, this venture would be the same as the last ones. He and his troops would follow one of the Wizard's leads, search for a few days, and then return home empty handed. He could only pray that every mission turned out the same way for the rest of his life.

Still, he shouldn't be complaining. His life was not exactly terrible. He had a beautiful fiancée, he lived in the Emerald Palace, and he had a steady, well respected job. Considering the fact that he'd practically flunked out of college, he should be more than grateful to have been offered such a prestigious position. Really the only problem he had was the fact that he had to go off on these searches every couple of months. Yes, everything in his life would be perfect if it wasn't for that damnable Wicked Witch of the West.

**End of first chapter. I know it was completely uneventful, but its point was basically to show Fiyero's view of Elphaba, his relationship with Glinda, and basically just where his life is at this point. I think I just realized how much I hate writing expositions. You have to cram everything in there, but it still has to have some sort of flow between paragraphs. I've also realized that I seem to start a lot of my stories with a character in bed. I wonder why that is…**

**Well anyways, that's all for now, but I'm already hard at work on chapter two, so that'll probably be up soon, Please leave a review and tell me what you thought, even if you didn't find the chapter very interesting! Thanks for reading.**

**S.P.**


	2. Search and Capture

**Hey guys. So I finished this chapter rather quickly, and so I shall be posting it rather quickly as a result. Thanks so much for the positive response for the last chapter and for all of your reviews. You guys are like my encouragement. Anyways, today was my last actual day of school, and now finals start. However, I don't study obsessively, so I should still have plenty of time to write.**

**Anyways, just something I'd like to clear up, since I'm not sure if it was evident enough last chapter. Fiyero had never met Elphaba, but Glinda has. The two were still friends in college and the same thing happened when they went to the Emerald City. Fiyero knows nothing about this but the little bit Glinda has told him.**

**OK, so here's chapter two. Hope you enjoy it!**

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Fiyero cursed mentally as his pant leg snagged on yet another tree root. Almost two years in this profession and he'd still never quite gotten used to having to traipse through the forest. He and his men were not exactly stealthy, and one would probably be able to hear them crashing through the undergrowth from miles away. It wasn't really a wonder that they had not yet succeeded in the capture of the Wicked Witch of the West.

They'd been out searching for at least a couple of hours at this point, though Fiyero had lost track of time long ago, and they were just about nearing the area the Wizard had informed them about. The Wizard had spies, strange flying monkeys who flew around Oz and reported any strange or threatening behavior, and this was how he gathered information to fuel the search efforts. Fiyero had heard that the strange beasts had been the very first victims of the Witch's madness, and he was just glad that everything had worked out for the best in that case. Now at least the very monkeys she'd created would be able to aid in the efforts to capture her.

Fiyero finally stopped moving and held up a hand for his men to do the same as the group neared a large clearing. Apparently there'd been reports of subversive Animal activity around these parts, and it was believed that the Witch was involved somehow, for she was always trying to stir up trouble and rebellions among the Animals. Fiyero had never met or even seen an Animal himself, but he'd heard the stories the Wizard told. He knew that they were stupid, savage beasts who thought their ability to speak gave them the right to co-exist with humans. They were certainly a group that needed to be put down, and to have the Witch working with them certainly did not help the situation. Once the horrible woman was captured, putting the Animals in their places would certainly become a much easier task.

Crouching down, Fiyero examined the field for anything out of the ordinary. His guards stood stock still behind him, pistols cocked and at the ready. However, absolutely nothing seemed to be wrong at the moment, and so he slowly stood up and motioned for his men to follow. At this point he could already feel his legs beginning to shake, but he was by now a master of masking his fear. Holding his pistol out in front of him, he began to take a few tentative steps forward.

Fiyero glanced over his shoulder as he walked, doing a swift head count to make sure all of his men were present. They were not a large group, consisting only of Fiyero and twenty five other soldiers. It would not do to travel in very large numbers, for it would be far too hard to keep track of so many men, and would become almost impossible to retreat should the need arise. Fiyero supposed this was another reason these little expeditions worried him. How were twenty six men with pistols supposed to stop an extremely powerful Witch who had evaded capture for two years?

Still, he tried not to think of these things as he pressed on. Surely if he allowed himself to have doubts he would never be able to keep moving. It was best to keep his mind completely blank, a surprisingly easy task for him, and just focus completely on his purpose.

Fiyero jumped as a creature suddenly shot out of a nearby bush and took off running. One of the guards fired at it in his surprise, but the bullet missed completely as the small creature disappeared into the distance. No one moved for a few moments as they waited with baited breath to see if any strange occurrences would follow this. Fiyero wasn't sure if the creature was an Animal or an animal, but it had appeared to be some sort of wild cat cub. Such beasts were common in this forest, and so it wouldn't be surprising if the cub was only an animal. However, if it was an Animal, it could mean that the Wicked Witch of the West was nearby.

They stood for several moments, tensed and ready to spring into action, but nothing else happened. Slowly and tentatively, the men lowered their guns and began to move forward once more. However, Fiyero felt something wasn't quite right here. The air felt too still, and he had a nagging feeling that something was about to happen. On a whim, Fiyero slowed down a bit and glanced back over his shoulder. That was when he saw it. Just as the last man passed by the tree the cub had emerged from, a streak of green and black went darting past them and took off running.

Fiyero stopped short, as did a couple of the other guards who had obviously also witnessed the disturbance. The guards who had not seen stopped short as Fiyero did, looking confused as they bumped into each other.

Heart pounding in his chest, Fiyero realized that for once they were actually hot on the trail of the Wicked Witch of the West. He was completely unprepared for this, and it took him a couple of seconds to find his voice. Realizing he had no choice but to give chase, he finally opened his mouth and shouted, "She's headed north, let's move!"

Almost immediately, the guards charged into action, Fiyero now bringing up the rear as the group changed directions. He was perfectly fine with hanging back, but knew it was his responsibility as leader to get back to the head of the group. Pushing his way past the other men, he sprinted ahead until he was in his rightful position once more.

By now they'd lost sight of the Witch, but they kept on in the same direction until they reached another clearing. This one was much larger than the last, and it was characterized by a series of different sized caves and a small lake a short distance away. Fiyero wondered briefly why the Wicked Witch of the West would choose to live by water. After all, if what he'd heard was true, water had the ability to melt her.

Shaking his head, Fiyero returned his attention to the task at hand. There were quite a few caves here, though a good number were obviously too small to be inhabited. This task would be much easier if he split his men into groups and had them comb the area. He honestly didn't think the Witch was occupying any of these caves. They were far too obvious and out in the open. Surely she'd choose a much more inconspicuous hiding place.

Turning back to his men, he gave them his orders. "Split into groups of five and search the caves," he said quickly, waiting for the men to separate before he continued. Motioning to the group closest him, Fiyero said, "You five come with me. Everyone else stay nearby and yell immediately if you find something."

The guards nodded obediently and marched off in different directions, pistols held at the ready. The group Fiyero had called for moved closer to him, and he motioned for them to follow as he started toward the largest of the caves.

Taking a deep breath, Fiyero suddenly felt apprehensive as he stood at the mouth of the cave, and he motioned for the other men to stop as he peered into the blackness. He knew what he should do as the leader, even if very part of his brain was screaming at him to turn tail and flee.

Ignoring his own fears and putting on a show of bravado, he said, "Wait here. I'll go in first and make sure it's safe to enter"

The others nodded, muscles tensed in anticipation, and he reluctantly stepped forward into the blackness of the cave. He waited for a few moments for his eyes to adjust, before he slowly moved even further in.

The cave was even larger from the inside, and it seemed to extend back endlessly into pitch black darkness. Biting the inside of his lip, Fiyero pulled out his pistol and held it at the ready. He really hoped he wouldn't have to use it, but having it close by at least brought him a sense of comfort.

He continued on, going in about 20 feet or so. Apparently the men outside had lost sight of him by now, for one of them called after him unsurely, "Sir?"

"Right here," he responded absentmindedly, not turning to face the guard. He was about to give them the okay to enter, when suddenly something caught his eye. Was it just his imagination, or had he just seen the end of a piece of black fabric disappear around the corner? Completely forgetting the other guards, he moved forward instinctively. Now he could see a strange light coming from just around the nearest bend.

The guards called after him again, but he completely ignored them this time. He hastened his steps, completely terrified but at the same time exhilarated. His mind didn't seem to be working anymore; his body had given in to adrenaline rush.

It seemed the other guards were beginning to grow worried, for he could now hear their heavy boots clapping against the damp floor of the cave as they continued to call out for him. He still paid them no heed as he finally turned the corner and was temporarily blinded by a suddenly dazzling light.

What happened next occurred so quickly that Fiyero's mind couldn't seem to process what was going on. Two arms suddenly shot out and grabbed him, causing Fiyero to cry out in alarm before a hand clamped down over his mouth. Upon hearing his shout the other guards hastened their footsteps, and their cries became more frantic as they realized their captain was in trouble.

Fiyero struggling in his captor's grasp, but the person's grip was surprisingly strong. Quite suddenly, a female voice began to chant from behind him, and Fiyero's struggle became more urgent as he realized who it was that held him in a headlock. Suddenly, a large stone rolled into place, blocking the tunnel he and his captor were standing in from view just before the other guards rushed past. Fiyero tried to call out again, but his voice was muffled by the green hand still covering his mouth.

The Witch kept him there for several minutes, and he could hear the muffled footsteps of his men from the other side of the stone. He prayed to the Unnamed God they had seen the large stone close off the passage, but it was apparent they hadn't, for he could hear no attempts being made to move it.

After a few minutes the guards seemed to give up their search, and he could hear them rush from the cave, calling to the other guards for help. Fiyero listened to their footsteps fade, his last hope going with them.

A few minutes later the hand came away from his mouth, and he finally cried out again. However, there was no use now, for it was apparent the guards could not hear him. Legs shaking, he was pushed forward into what he now realized was a small living area. The light he'd seen came from a strange glowing orb across the room, which Fiyero assumed the Witch had conjured by magic.

There was no furniture, but a few large rocks apparently served as a table and chairs. Spread across the floor makeshift carpet apparently fashioned from some strange type of leaves, and there were random papers scattered about. A few ratty books stood in a pile against the wall in the corner, and an old broomstick leaned up against the far wall. On the "table" a large, leather book lay opened, though Fiyero could not see what was written on its pages. On the right side of the small room there was a hole in the wall, which Fiyero assumed led to another "room".

His heart pounded as he was led into this small space, hands still bound behind his back. He'd finally found the hiding place of the Wicked Witch of the West, but he'd been taken there as her prisoner.

**Ah yes, my beloved cliff hangers. Well anyways, as you can see this chapter pretty much sets the scene for the rest of the fic. I actually have the next chapter finished already, but I'd like to get chapter four written before I post it. The more reviews I get the faster I update, so please leave me one and tell me what you think so far. Thanks again to all of the awesomeful people who reviewed the last chapter!**

**S.P.**


	3. Wicked Witch of the West

**OK guys, here's the next chapter. At this point I'm already half way through writing chapter six, so I'm making good time. However, I'm still going to try to spread the updates out a bit. Anyway, this chapter is a bit shorter, but very important. Hopefully it came out right, because it gave me a bit of trouble.**

**Anyways, I'll let you read and see for yourself. Here's the next chapter.**

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Fiyero tried not to whimper as he was thrown roughly to the floor, coughing as the wind was knocked out of him. Instinctively, he curled into a ball like a child expecting to be struck, but the Witch almost seemed to be ignoring him as she swept past and into the small room. After a few moments he took his hands away from his face, wondering why he'd not yet been blown up, or whatever method the Witch used in getting rid of her prisoners.

She was across the room now, hanging her cloak on a rusty hook that looked as though it had been clumsily hammered into the wall. Her back was to him, and Fiyero realized that he had not yet seen her face. From here all he could see was that she was wearing some sort of flowing black dress, and a pointed black hat sat atop her head. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, keeping a close eye on her lest she suddenly turn and strike.

For a moment Fiyero's eyes darted toward the huge stone that blocked his only escape. He wondered if his men were still out in the cave searching, or if they'd already given up. He examined the stone, wondering half heartedly if he'd be able to move it himself. He realized with a sinking feeling that it didn't seem likely.

When the Witch was finished putting her things away, she finally whipped around to face Fiyero, causing him to jump and scramble backwards on his palms. He hated that he was acting like a frightened child, but at this point self-preservation instincts had taken over. The Witch towered over him from his spot on the floor, and through his panic Fiyero registered that she was indeed as frightening as everyone made her out to be.

Trying to keep his voice from quivering, Fiyero composed himself enough to ask, "Why did you bring me here?"

He tried to appear fearless, but his mask of bravery fell immediately when the Witch let out a loud cackle. The sound was so bone chilling Fiyero completely forgot he'd even asked a question and backed up against the wall.

"Why did I bring you here?" she asked, taking a step forward. Her voice was shrill, and it sent a shiver down Fiyero's spine. Her eyes were blazing, and the fact that she was still towering over him did nothing to quell Fiyero's fear. "I should think that would be rather obvious _captain. _I am not about to be captured and brought back before your "glorious"Wizard, and since you'd so graciously shouted for your guards, I had no choice but to pull you in here before either of us were seen."

Fiyero gulped, not even attempting to hide his fear now, "W-what are you going to do with me then?"

She took another step toward him, and Fiyero scrambled up against the wall. He was terrified to let even the hem of the woman's robes touch him, as if he would spontaneously combust upon any contact with her. There was an excruciatingly long pause before the Witch responded, her tone still cold and menacing, "Well, I'm not going to kill you, if that's what you're worried about, but I'm certainly not going to allow you to leave."

Fiyero ignored the fact that his voice was now quivering and asked, "Well, if you're not going to kill me then what's the point of keeping me here?"

"And what will you do if I release you? You'll run back to your precious leader, gather your idiot troops and be marching back to this place by sunup. This spot is quite convenient for me right now, and I don't really like the idea of having to move. I see no other option but to keep you here," she practically growled as she spoke, and Fiyero found himself wishing he'd wake up in his bed in a cold sweat right about now.

"Y-you can't keep me here you know. I'm the captain of the Wizard's guards. My men will-"

The Witch cut him off, "Your men will what? No one can hear anything that goes on in here from the outside, and no one knows this passage exists. There's no way for you to move that boulder by yourself, and I am most certainly not going to be moving it for you. I'd make myself comfortable _captain_, because you're not going anywhere for a long time."

With that, the Witch wheeled around, her billowing cloaks almost whipping a stunned Fiyero across the face. He had nothing to say to that, and no way out of this rather perilous situation. He'd been hunting the Witch for two years, and though he'd always known something like to be a possibility, he hadn't ever really seen himself in such a situation. Now that these circumstances had presented themselves, he really wished he could do more than cower on the floor like a useless idiot.

He kept his eyes trained on the Witch as she crossed the room, not relaxing the slightest bit from his position up against the wall. Her back was to him again, and Fiyero was soon struck by a brilliant idea. His hand flew down to his belt in search of his pistol, but his heart sank back into his stomach as he realized it was missing. He must have dropped it out in the hall when the Witch had suddenly pulled him inside. Unfortunately, he had no other weapons on his person at the moment.

Fiyero was once again caught off guard as the Witch began to chant quickly, her eyes rushing across a page of the strange book he'd noticed upon entering the cavern. He couldn't understand what she was saying, but he'd heard Glinda's pathetic attempts at magic often enough to realize that the Witch was casting some sort of spell. Before Fiyero could make any move to protect himself, he felt a very strong wave of energy overpower his body.

Fiyero suddenly found that he no longer had any control over his limbs. Casting a glance over the Witch, he saw her making strange motions with her arms, her eyes still trained on the pages of the old book as she continued to chant. It was then that Fiyero felt a strange tugging on his legs, and his body began moving forward of its own accord. Fiyero struggled against the force, but it was no use. It was evident that he was no use for the Witch's magic. He could only stare ahead, powerless to stop himself as his body moved itself into a separate room of the cave.

The Witch followed behind, still chanting even as she finally tore her gaze from what Fiyero had now realized was an ancient book of spells. Finally she stopped her chanting, but Fiyero remained powerless to move his own body and so he assumed she'd paralyzed him temporarily. Honestly there was no real need for this, as Fiyero was in such a state of terrified shock right now that he most likely would not even have been able to move of his own accord had he possessed the ability.

The Witch spoke again, her dark eyes boring into Fiyero's blue ones, "This is where you will stay as long as you are my prisoner. Whenever I am not home I will roll away the boulder that blocks this room and you will be free to move around the cavern as you like. You are to report back to this room the moment I return. You will stay here and be given two meals a day. Other than this we will have no interaction, and for that you should be grateful. Good night to you _captain_."

With that, the Witch waved her wrist and a large boulder immediately slid into place, blocking off the entrance to the room Fiyero was in as effectively as it had blocked off the Witch's hiding place from the main caves. As the entrance was sealed, Fiyero could feel the Witch's spell lift from his body. Too stunned to support his weight, he immediately collapsed into a crumpled heap on the ground. He did not even bother to feel ashamed as he felt a few stray tears roll down his cheeks at the hopelessness of this situation.

Fleetingly he though of his home back at the Emerald Palace, and what he would give to be there at this very moment. He wondered if word of his disappearance had reached the Emerald City yet, and if so what measures were being taken to ensure his return. Not that it really made a difference, for he had a feeling that as long as the Witch wanted him to remain hidden there was no way anyone was going to find him here.

Curling into fetal position, Fiyero realized that there was something odd about this situation. Why was the Witch keeping him alive in the first place? Certainly it would be easier for her if she just disposed of him quickly. Why would she go through the trouble of giving him food and drink? Was she planning to use him for ransom to get to the Wizard, or was she simply going to have her fun with him before she decided to kill him off? Shuddering, Fiyero pulled his knees to his chest and tried not to become overwhelmed by despair. He knew that whatever was coming in the future, it would certainly not be a pleasant experience.

Fiyero stayed like that well into the night; too afraid to close his eyes for fear that the Witch would murder him in his sleep. What he did not see and could not know, however; was that as soon as the boulder had blocked him from view, the Wicked Witch of the West had sunk to her knees, buried her face in her hands, and cried.

**And there's the ever important confrontation scene. Hopefully it was realistic enough. The last line was obviously there to show that Elphaba is not really an evil bitch and that she's just as distressed by this situation as Fiyero is, if not more so. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, it's much appreciated. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think so far. Remember, the more reviews I get the faster I put the next chapter up.**

**S.P.**


	4. Investigation

'**Lo all. I must say I was really surprised by the awesome response to the last chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed! You guys are all amazing!**

**Well anyways, I really have nothing else to say for now, so I s'pose I just won't take up any more of your time and just allow you to read the story.**

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Fiyero couldn't remember falling asleep, but he must have at some point during the night, for morning had broken some time ago. For a moment he wondered why his bed felt so hard and uncomfortable, and why he could not hear Glinda's gentle snores coming from beside him. He sleepily cocked one eye open, and bolted into a sitting position as he realized he was lying on the floor of a cave. It took a few moments, but soon the memories of the previous day broke through the haze of his still tired mind.

Everything flooded back to him in an instant. He'd been captured trying to find the Witch's hideout and now he was paying the price. He had no means of escape, and, for that matter, no clue as to why the Witch hadn't killed him yet. He shuddered as he tried not to think of all of the things the horrible woman could do to him.

Propping himself up with his elbows, Fiyero took a quick glance around the cavern that served as his prison. He hadn't really looked around last night, but now that he did he realized just how small the space was. It was quite tight, about the length and width of the dining room table they'd had back at the Emerald Palace. It was enough to make Fiyero feel claustrophobic.

Upon further inspection, Fiyero noticed a bowl of fruit and a bowl of water sitting over in the corner, and he realized that the Witch had left it out for him. She must have put the bowls there before he'd woken up. Judging by the fact that the fruit was already browning, he assumed that he must have overslept. Fiyero shuddered involuntarily as he imagined the Witch standing mere inches from him as he slept. He still couldn't fathom why she'd go through the trouble of giving him food. Why should she care if he starved to death?

Another thought struck him. Was the food poisoned? Had she enchanted it to have some strange effect on him after he ate it? He eyed the bowl warily, weighing his options. He wasn't very hungry at the moment, but he'd have to eat eventually. Would it be better to take his chances with the food or risk starvation? Neither seemed like a very appealing option.

Deciding to leave the fruit alone and worry about that later, Fiyero finally stood up on shaky legs. His first thought was that he wished there was a mirror in this cave. He could tell that his clothes were filthy from sleeping on the floor and so assumed his face and hair was as well. Even in captivity a prince had to look his best. Sighing, he turned around to face the stone that blocked his exit from this room.

To his immense surprise, he found that the heavy stone had been moved back from the entrance to his passage, and it appeared he was free to move into the main section of the cave. Taking a tentative step forward, he held a hand out, sticking it out through the archway as if expecting to recieve an electric shock. When none came, he pulled his arm back to his side and stepped out into the living area.

Looking around, he was grateful to find that the Witch was no where in sight. Briefly he recalled her words from the night before. Apparently she planned to let him roam free in the cave whenever she wasn't around. Again he wondered why she even bothered to grant him that right, instead of making him stay cooped up in that small cavern until he went insane.

Shaking his head, Fiyero decided not to puzzle himself over the Witch's decisions anymore for the time being. After all, the woman was practically insane and for all he knew there was absolutely no method to her madness at all. How could he hope to explain the actions of someone who flew around on a cleaning implement and kept the company of rebellious Animals?

Stepping further into the room, Fiyero noted that not much seemed to have changed since yesterday. The only difference was the absence of the Witch's cloak and broomstick. He wondered briefly where the Witch had gone, but didn't waste too much energy thinking about it. She was probably out causing trouble or wreaking havoc or whatever Wicked Witches did for recreation. Fiyero just hoped she wouldn't be caught, for if she was it was most likely he'd be forgotten and left to rot in this Ozforsaken cavern. The other difference was that a fresh pail of water lay in the corner. He hadn't noticed that yesterday. How did the Witch draw water from the lake if it was supposed to melt her?

Turning, Fiyero found himself face to face with the large boulder that blocked the entrance to the cave, the only thing standing between him and freedom. He studied it for a moment, once again trying to assess whether or not he had the strength to move it on his own. Deciding he had nothing to lose, Fiyero pressed his hands firmly against the stone and pushed with all of his might. His muscles tensed and strained, but his hands kept slipping against the stone. There was no way for him to get a firm grip, and the rock was far too big for him to simply roll it aside this way. Defeated, his energy spent, Fiyero gave up and collapsed against the rock, sliding down against it until he slumped to the floor.

From his position, Fiyero took another look around. His eye was suddenly caught by the glowing orb in the corner of the room, the only source of light in the cave. Suddenly fascinated, Fiyero stood and moved closer to better examine it. He eyed it carefully, keeping a measurable distance between himself and the orb at first. However, it seemed harmless, and so after a moment he reached out and brushed the light with his fingers. He watched with fascination as his fingers passed right through the orb, leaving no sensation on the tips of his fingers. Fiyero stood for a few moments, completely in awe of the strange light source. He'd never been this close up to something so magical before. Sure he'd seen Glinda conjure her bubble, but this was in a different category altogether.

Turning from the light, Fiyero focused his attention on the spell book that still lay open on the stone table at the center of the room. He suddenly found himself very curious as to what was written in the strange book that gave the Witch the ability to perform such extraordinary tasks. Crossing the room, he crouched down in from of the old book and examined the page it was opened to. He was surprised to find that he did not recognize the writing on the pages at all. The ancient looking paper was covered with unfamiliar symbols, all swirling around and constantly rearranging themselves. He marveled at the fact that the Witch could understand it at all. He flipped through the pages quickly, only to find that they were all characterized by the same strange alphabet.

Losing interest in the strange book quickly, Fiyero stood and decided to continue his exploration of the Witch's living quarters. He was not sure what he was expecting to find exactly. Perhaps he was hoping for some insight into the way the Witch's mind worked or an explanation for why she committed such horrible crimes. No matter what his intent, the dog-eared pile of books across the room became Fiyero's next destination.

There were five books in the small pile, and each was rather thick. Picking up the one on the top of the pile, Fiyero was relieved to find it was written in normal Ozian language. It was a book on the study of Animals, which was all Fiyero could gather from the title. He flipped through the pages disinterestedly, and wrinkled his nose as the pungent smell of musty paper stung his nose. He glanced at the titles of the other books, but they all seemed to be on more or less the same subject. All in all, the Wicked Witch of the West had a rather boring hide out.

Fiyero was just about to have a seat on one of the Witch's stone seats when suddenly a trace of green caught his eye. Turning his head toward the strange distraction, Fiyero could see the corner of what looked like a bit of green paper sticking out from under a stone on his far right. Moving toward it curiously, he bent down to have a closer look. Taking the corner of the page between his fingers, he gave it a sharp tug, but it wouldn't budge from beneath the stone.

His curiosity peaked, Fiyero decided to move the large rock aside and get a better look. Placing his fingers under the stone, he gave a heave and managed to flip the rock over, revealing a sort of secret outlet beneath. Inside lay an assortment of different artifacts he assumed the Witch had wanted to keep hidden. There were two books, a small black one that looked like a diary, and a larger one Fiyero couldn't identify. Along with this was a number of papers that looked like assorted letters and documents. Shifting through them carefully, Fiyero wondered why the Witch would attempt to hide these.

One item that stood out most against the others was a green envelope, which was what Fiyero assumed had drawn his eye to this little secret compartment in the first place. Upon further observation, Fiyero recognized it as the type of envelope the Wizard used to send messages. He wondered whether the Witch had intercepted this letter or if it had been a request from the Wizard to turn herself in before she'd gotten out of control. Curiosity getting the better of him, Fiyero reached into the envelope and extracted the carefully folded sheet of paper within.

Upon perusing the short notice, Fiyero was more than surprised to find that it was not at all what he'd expected. Instead of a summons, it appeared to be an _invitation_ from the Wizard addressed to someone named Elphaba Thropp. The name sounded a bit familiar to Fiyero, though he couldn't put his finger on why. Was this the Witch's real name? Up until this point he hadn't really even thought it possible that the woman could have another title other than 'The Wicked Witch of the West". Bringing his eyes back down to the page, he saw that this Elphaba person had been invited to have an audience with the Wizard more than two years ago because of her 'extraordinary achievements in magic and sorcery'. Fiyero stared blankly at the page, not quite sure what he was reading. Why would the Wizard actually invite a woman who was such a dangerous threat into his palace? Had he not known yet, or had this actually been before she had become the Wicked Witch of the West?

"Thought you'd have a bit of fun going through my belongings did you?" came a menacing voice from behind, causing Fiyero to start and toss the letter away as if scalded. Jumping up, he found himself face to face with a furious Wicked Witch.

Feeling his legs turn to jelly, Fiyero began to stammer, "I-I-I…." He could think of no sufficient explanation. True, he'd forgotten that the Witch could actually come home while he was digging through her personal belongings.

"Get back in your room," she growled, pointing a finger toward the small cavern in which Fiyero had spent the night. Not daring to disobey, he stumbled back into the small cavern as quickly as he shaky legs would carry him. He caught one last glimpse of the Witch's belongings, still scattered across the floor, before the boulder slammed into place.

Fiyero stood there for a few moments, mind blank, before he did something he'd seldom done before: he began to use his brain. He knew he wasn't supposed to have seen those papers, and he was surprised the Witch had not punished him for going through her things.

He still couldn't understand why the Witch had that letter. Was it true that the Wizard had actually requested to see her some time ago? Had that been when she'd first been labeled the Wicked Witch of the West? Perhaps she had turned on the Wizard once she'd entered his chamber, but had failed in her assassination attempt. But if that was the case then why save the letter?

Fiyero suddenly wished he'd gotten a better look at some of the other papers. Most of all he would have liked to get a glimpse at the woman's diary. After all, what sorts of things would the Wicked Witch of the West want to keep private? Fiyero couldn't exactly picture her curled up on her bed, scribbling her deepest darkest secrets in a small book.

Well, there was no use wondering about it now. He was pretty sure the Witch would be moving her belongings to a new location as quickly as possible, and he had a feeling he'd most likely never see them again.

Fiyero's thoughts were cut short as the boulder suddenly swung open and the Witch swept in. Fiyero eyed her apprehensively, and backed up against the wall as she passed him. She seemed to pay no mind to his behavior.

She dropped a plate of what looked like plain cheese and crackers onto the floor, and Fiyero eyed it distrustfully. She seemed to notice this, and also that the fruit from earlier this morning lay untouched.

"Oh, you're afraid I've poisoned it are you?" she asked, whipping around to face him. Fiyero said nothing, for it was exactly what he'd been thinking. He watched as she took one of the crackers from the plate and placed it in her own mouth. "There's nothing wrong with it, so I suggest you take your chances or starve to death. Either way it's of no consequence to me."

That said, the Witch stalked from the chamber with the now rotting bowl of fruit, leaving Fiyero alone once more as the rock slid into place behind her. Fiyero watched her go, before turning his attention back to the plate of food. True, by his time he was rather hungry, as he hadn't eaten since morning the day before. Carefully, he removed one of the crackers from the plate and nibbled at it. When nothing happened after a few moments, he popped the entire thing into his mouth and reached for another.

As he devoured his rather unexciting meal, Fiyero tried to make sense of all he'd seen in the past two days. The only thing he knew for sure by now was that the Witch was most certainly a conundrum. What was worse, she was a conundrum that made him _think._

**And there's chapter four, which I believe was the longest chapter yet. I know it wasn't all too exciting, but it's definitely necessary to the plot. Anyways, please leave a review if you have the time, because reviews make me all warm and fuzzy inside!**

**Anyways, thanks for reading. I'll try to get the next update out as soon as possible.**

**S.P.**


	5. Reading Between the Lines

**Hello again! As you've probably noticed, I seem to have fallen into the rhythm of posting a chapter every two days. So here's the next chapter right on time. Thanks you so much to all of my amazing reviewers. I was really surprised and extremely happy with all of the response. Thanks to everyone who's reading this, and on to the next chapter.**

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Fiyero awoke the next morning to find that the Witch was already gone. His empty plate from the night before had been taken, and in its place sat a fresh bowl of fruit. Fiyero was relieved to find that the food he'd eaten the night before didn't seem to have had any sort of negative effect on him. At least now he would be able to eat without fearing for his life.

Glancing around, Fiyero registered with some surprise that the boulder that blocked off his room had once again been rolled back, allowing him access to the main part of the cave. Fiyero stared at the opening in disbelief. He'd been sure that the Witch would never let him out again after the incident that had taken place yesterday.

Sitting up and stretching, Fiyero scooted closer to the bowl of fruit and began to eat. Vaguely he wondered what time of day it was. He had no way of telling now, as there were no windows in the underground cave. He wondered if he'd ever see sunlight again, or if he was doomed to live out the rest of his days underground.

Still, Fiyero mused, being a prisoner of Oz's most infamous fugitive was really not as exciting or terrifying as one would expect. After all, she was hardly ever around, and when she was she almost never interacted with him at all. Fiyero knew he should probably be waiting for the other shoe to drop, but he really wasn't worrying about that right now. After all, why should he stress himself out worrying about the future when all was well in the present?

Upon finishing his meal, Fiyero stood and wandered back out into the main part of the cavern. He was relieved to find that he was indeed alone once more. Almost immediately he crossed the room and flipped the rock under which he'd found the Witch's belongings yesterday. However, as was expected, the small hollow underneath was now completely empty.

Straightening up, Fiyero glanced around the room, trying to determine where the Witch could possibly have hidden her things. There was nothing obviously out of place in the room, though Fiyero assumed there were probably more hidden storage areas like the one under the stone. However, without a lead it was impossible to even begin a search, and so Fiyero simply let the idea go for the time being.

Now Fiyero stood in the center of the room with no idea as to what he should do next. After all, he'd explored the small cavern in its entirety yesterday, and Fiyero could think of nothing else to do to keep himself busy. He took a seat on a nearby stone, but after a few moments he began to fidget and grew restless. Suddenly desperate for some way to occupy his time, Fiyero realized that the tattered books on the other side of the room were beginning to look rather appealing.

Shaking his head, Fiyero realized he really must be going mad if he was even entertaining the notion of reading. After all, he'd never really read a book of his own free will in his life. Still, boredom won out eventually, and he soon found himself standing before the pile of books, unsure of how to go about this. He picked up the one on top, the book on Animal rights he'd seen yesterday, and examined the worn cover for a moment. He really wasn't too interested in the subject matter, but none of the other books looked much better and so he decided he'd just have to make due for now.

Returning to his stone, he took a seat and simply stared at the book for a moment. How did these things work again? He believed you were supposed to start at the beginning, but this seemed rather boring. Deciding he didn't feel like reading the whole book, Fiyero opened it up to a page in the middle and began to read the words with little interest.

However, Fiyero found he was becoming drawn into what he was reading, and he soon became more attentive. He'd never seen Animals defined quite like this. According to this book they were not savage beasts, but rather creatures who could think and feel in the same way as humans. But…that wasn't true was it? If what this book said was true than why in Oz's name would the Wizard be saying something completely different?

The book not only described Animals in a new way, it also gave a bit of insight into their history. Apparently there had always been discrimination against them, beginning with the Great Drought. People had blamed the Animals for it, and since then that had become a sort of trend. Fiyero shook his head; surely that wasn't true. After all, how did he even know he could trust a book he'd found in the possession of the Wicked Witch?

Still, Fiyero continued to read, still somewhat interested in the material even though he knew it to be untrue. As he turned the page, he was startled as a small piece of paper slipped from between two pages and fluttered to the floor. Fiyero bent over to retrieve it, examining it as he picked it up. It was a short note, with only a few words scribbled in an untidy scrawl. It looked like the person who had written them had trouble operating a pencil. The note read:

_Miss Elphaba,_

_Thank you for all of your kindness. Remember to never stop speaking out._

_Doctor Dillamond_

Fiyero simply stared at the card, now puzzled once more. Who was this Doctor Dillamond, and why was this short note wedged between the pages of an Animal rights book? And there was that name again, Elphaba. He had by now realized that this was the Witch's real name, though he still could not bring himself to associate the name with the evil woman who had imprisoned him. After all, even if she had been this Elphaba person at some point, she was the Wicked Witch of the West now and that was all that mattered.

Returning his attention to the card, Fiyero flipped it over to see if anything was written on the back. He was met with the sight of a school crest, the words 'Shiz University' written across it in a neat cursive. Underneath was an address and the words 'Current Headmistress: Madame Morrible'.

This seemed to confuse Fiyero even further. Why would this Dillamond person have written on the back of a card from Shiz? Had he perhaps been a professor there? After all, his title was 'Doctor' Dillamond; it was completely plausible. But if this Dillamond character had been the one to present this book to the Witch, did that mean she had attended the university as well?

The notion seemed ridiculous from the moment it entered his mind. After all, who could picture the Wicked Witch of the West sitting in a college classroom and taking notes like a normal person? Still, Fiyero couldn't shake the idea. After all, he mused, the Witch had been a person before she'd become a fugitive. Who's to say she hadn't attended college?

That was when Fiyero realized that this was the first time he'd ever actually though of the Witch as an actual person. Before now he'd really only seen her as what Oz made her out to be: a Wicked Witch. Although he still saw her that way, he now recognized that there must have been something to bring her to this point. After all, hadn't she been a child once, and hadn't she had parents just like everyone else? Fiyero knew she even had a sibling, the Wicked Witch of the East, who was now causing trouble as the governor of Muchkinland. Perhaps the Witch had even had friends at one point. Was she born wicked, or had something happened in her life that had caused her to choose this path? Fiyero's brain was beginning to ache from the effort of thought.

Returning his attention to the Shiz card, he recognized the name Madame Morrible, which was printed next to the word 'Headmistress'. The woman had been the headmistress during Glinda's days at Shiz, and she now served as the Wizard's press secretary. She was the one who had made the public announcement about the Wicked Witch of the West's first evil deed. Fiyero wondered if Morrible had known the Wicked Witch as Elphaba at some point.

Furthermore, Fiyero wondered if Glinda had known the Witch during college. After all, they'd both gone to the same school under the same headmistress. Fiyero doubted they'd gone at the same time though. He wasn't sure how old the Witch was, but he was pretty sure she was a great deal older than Glinda. He'd have to tell Glinda of his discoveries when he returned home. He was excited for a moment before he realized with a sinking feeling that he _wouldn't_ be returning home.

Suddenly not in the mood to read anymore, Fiyero slid the note back into the pages of the book and set it on the stone table beside the Witch's spell book. He dropped his chin into his hands for a few moments, lost in thought once more. It was strange, over the course of the past three days he'd done more thinking than he'd probably done in his entire life up until this point. Oz, he'd even actually _read _a book.

Fiyero was so detached from reality that he suddenly fell from his seat as the large boulder that was the entrance to the cave flew open. He picked himself up the floor just in time to see a frantic Wicked Witch rush by in a blur of green and black, holding something Fiyero couldn't identify in her arms.

For a moment Fiyero expected to be shouted at again and then forced to return to his cavern. However, he froze as he realized there was something wrong with the Witch. Her face held none of its usual malice, and she certainly did not appear as composed as she usually was.

She turned to Fiyero as if just noticing him, and her voice was considerably less piercing as she spoke, "You, bring me some water. I need help!"

**OK, and there's chapter five. Still pretty uneventful, I realize, but it should be picking up. Next chapter will be more eventful, I promise. Well anyways, please leave me a review and tell me what you thought. I'd quite appreciate it!**

**S.P.**


	6. Rescue

**Hey guys! Guess what? Yes, that's right, I finished this chapter early and therefore am posting it a day in advance. This is in part because of the amazing response I've been getting from reviewers. You guys are awesome! It's also because I had no school today (only one more final tomorrow and I'm done for the year!) and therefore had way too much time on my hands. Anyway, this chapter is very important, but it gave me a bit of trouble. Hopefully you'll like it.**

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Fiyero stared dumbly as the Witch spoke, not quite registering that she was adressing him. She seemed to grow annoyed with his lack of response and barked, "Didn't you hear me you idiot, I said get some water."

Finally Fiyero seemed to come back to reality, and he darted for the watering pail. All thoughts he'd had about the Witch being just another person went right out the window. The woman was just so _intimidating. _He picked up the pail and carried it over to where the Witch was now kneeling in front of the stone table, trying not to slosh the water over the sides as he went. The Witch was now placing something Fiyero couldn't identify on the table. And was that _blood _staining her green fingers?

Fiyero dragged the pail along, trying to get a closer look. Now that he had a better view he could see that it was some sort of small animal. No, not animal. Knowing the Witch it was probably some sort of Animal. There was a large gash across the creature's head, which was bleeding profusely. It was unconscious, and lay limp on the cold stone as the Witch set it down.

Not even looking at Fiyero, the Witch pulled off her cloak and dipped it into the bucket of water. Fiyero was surprised by the fact that the Witch's hands seemed unharmed even as they were submerged. She took the now wet cloak and began to clean the blood from the creature's wound and then pressed the black cloth against the gash to stop the bleeding.

Fiyero watched in awe as the Witch doted upon the creature like a worried mother. Her actions were so gentle and her face so full of concern that Fiyero seemed to forget who she was for a moment. Now that her face was not contorted with rage or malice, Fiyero could see that she was not as terrifying as he'd initially thought. He could also see that she was also not as old as he'd initially thought. In fact, she appeared to be around his age, if not younger. This revelation startled Fiyero far more than anything he'd seen so far.

How was it possible that the Witch was only a young woman? For some reason, it seemed to make more sense that she would be a bitter old hag, or at least middle aged. The fact that she looked like she should still be in college unnerved Fiyero somewhat. What could she have possibly done to turn all of Oz against her when she was still so young?

After a moment the Witch turned and addressed Fiyero again, "Hold this in place. I need to find a spell."

Numbly, Fiyero held the damp cloak in place as the Witch moved toward her spell book. Now that he was so close up, Fiyero could see that the Animal was a Bear cub. It was quite small, and so Fiyero assumed it was still very young. He tried not to be disgusted by the blood that matted the creature's fur.

He could hear the Witch began to chant from his right, and he realized that she was once again casting a spell. He sat still for a few moments, expecting something magical to happen, but nothing seemed to have changed. However, the Witch seemed to think otherwise as she moved back toward Fiyero.

"Remove the cloak," she ordered, kneeling down beside the table. Fiyero tried not to shiver from how near the woman was to him. Her very presence still made him uneasy. However, he wasted no time in carefully removed the makeshift bandage from the creature's head.

It was with some shock Fiyero registered that the gash that had been bleeding heavily mere moments before was now nonexistent. It seemed to have healed almost instantly, and Fiyero realized that this had probably been the purpose of the Witch's spell.

Fiyero was suddenly elbowed out of the way as the Witch knocked him over to check on the cub. She ran her fingers gingerly over the spot where the wound had been, seemingly satisfied with her work. She dipped the now bloodstained cloak back into the pail of water and attempted to clean the cub's fur. She seemed completely oblivious to Fiyero's presence now. He simply stared at her as she doted upon her patient, unable to believe what he was seeing.

A few moments later the small creature began to stir, and then emitted a groan. The Witch's eyes lit up as she realized the cub was beginning to come around. The small Bear opened its eyes slowly, and then looked around as if trying to take in its surroundings. Its eyes landed on Elphaba and it sat up, looking rather confused.

"Miss Elphaba?" the Bear asked in a childish female voice, her small eyes still darting around the cave, "What happened?" Fiyero couldn't get over how strange it was to see completely articulate words coming from the creature's mouth. He'd never actually heard an Animal speak before, but this Bear cub sounded just like any human child.

What was stranger was that the cub had called the Witch by the name he'd seen earlier. He wondered how the Witch knew this Animal, where the cub had come from, and why it knew her name. Up until this point he hadn't really spared much thought to what the Witch did when she went out all day. Perhaps the rumors of an Animal settlement nearby were true. If that was the case, had the Witch actually befriended these creatures? Did she care for all of them the way she seemed to care for this young cub?

"You almost gave me heart attack, that's what happened," the Witch responded sternly, but relief was evident in her voice as she scooped the still confused Bear into her arms. Fiyero continued to stand forgotten on the sidelines as the Witch began to chide the Animal, "I told you not to play by the ravine. You see what happens when you don't listen?"

The Bear looked a bit surprised by this news, and seemed to suddenly notice the dried blood that still coated her fur. Her eyes widened, "I fell in." It wasn't a question, but more of a dawning realization, "But nothing hurts."

"Small favors," the Witch said, placing the Bear back on the table. The cubs eyes began to wander again, until they finally landed on Fiyero. The Bear looked surprised by the other presence in the room.

"Who's your friend Miss Elphaba," she asked innocently, eyes still trained on Fiyero.

The Witch seemed to freeze as she turned to face Fiyero, and it was apparent that she'd only just remembered he was in the room. She looked completely taken aback, and obviously had no clue how to answer the cub's question. She and Fiyero simply stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments.

Ready to try anything to get rid of the tension in the room, Fiyero decided to answer the cub's question himself, "I'm um…I'm Fiyero." He finished lamely, unsure of what else to say. It was evident this Bear had no idea that Fiyero was the Witch's prisoner.

There were a few more moments of awkward silence before the Witch finally seemed to regain her composure. Turning back to the Bear cub, she said, "Come Lorgen, your mother is probably worried sick. We need to get you home."

Without sparing another glance toward Fiyero, the Witch scooped the Bear, who was apparently named Lorgen, up and rushed from the room. Lorgen didn't seem to register the Witch's obvious distress, and she waved goodbye happily as she was carried out, "Bye Mister Fiyero!"

With that, the boulder slid back into place and Fiyero was on his own once more. Blinking stupidly, he tried to process the rather odd things he had just witnessed. Not only had the Witch been fussing like a worried mother, but she'd been fussing over an Animal. An Animal which, Fiyero noted, had not seemed like an uncivilized beast at all, but rather like an extremely furry child.

Dropping back onto the stone seat behind him, Fiyero wondered what this meant about the Witch. In all the time he'd been here he had only seen her act like the witch that all of Oz made her out to be. She was completely and utterly terrifying; from her cold eyes down to her eerie cackle. Sure, Fiyero had been curious when he'd found out small bits of information from her past, but never had he thought she could appear so…human.

In the last few minutes, Fiyero had actually seen the Witch show real, genuine emotion. She had been completely and utterly devoted to the small Bear, and had saved the young cubs life. Fiyero hadn't known that the Witch's magic could actually do something good. He'd only heard stories of how she used it to terrify and destroy.

Another thing that still unnerved Fiyero was how young the Witch had been. He couldn't shake the image of her wiping the blood off of the Animal's fur, her eyes soft and her concern overwhelming. He couldn't shake the feeling that in that moment, he'd seen the real woman behind the mask. He hadn't seen the Wicked Witch of the West, he'd seen Elphaba. Apparently this was an identity the woman tried to keep hidden from everyone other than whatever Animals she had befriended.

Fiyero was still lost in thought when the Witch re-entered, looking windswept and completely exhausted. She froze as she realized he was still sitting in the middle of her living room and the two locked eyes for a moment. Fiyero could tell she was trying to slip back into the menacing persona she'd kept on for the entire time he'd been in her presence, but it seemed she was too tired to manage it. Her presence did not instill the same fear in Fiyero that it usually did.

He was curious now. Why did the Witch insist on trying to become what the Ozians thought she was when it was now obvious to Fiyero that there was more to her than that? He wanted to say something, to question her on this, but he couldn't seem to find his voice.

"Go back to your cavern," she ordered, but there was no force behind her words. Her voice was not the shrill one she usually used, but rather a voice that sounded much more normal and seemed to mirror the Witch's exhaustion.

Fiyero found he couldn't move. It was as if his feet were cemented to the floor. He wanted answers, and he was not going to leave until he got some. The Witch seemed to grow annoyed with this defiance, and she immediately began to move toward her spellbook. Fiyero realized this and vaulted out of his seat, managing to slam the book shut and hold it just out of the Witch's reach. She looked about ready to kill, when suddenly Fiyero said something that stopped her in her tracks.

"Wait…Elphaba"

**So…yeah. If you yelled at me for the last cliffhanger, you're probably going to be coming at me with a knife after this one. Anyways, what did you think of the chapter? I hope the situation with the Bear cub was realistic. I needed someway to show Fiyero that Elphaba is capable of emotion, and it also plays a part in the rest of the story. Anyways, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. Your response is what gets the chapters up quickly! **

**S.P.**


	7. Elphaba

**Hello all. Well, here's the next chapter! This one is my favorite of the ones I've written so far, so hopefully you guys will like it. It's an extremely important chapter in the plot of this story. Anyway, I just want to say that the amazing reviewer response to this story makes me extremely happy. I haven't had a chance to respond to as many as I would have liked, but know that your reviews pretty much make my day.**

**Anyways, on to the next chapter.**

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Elphaba seemed completely taken aback by the fact that Fiyero had just used her real name. She stopped in her tracks for a moment, a look of obvious surprise written on her face, before she quickly recovered herself.

"That's not my name," she said sharply, her eyes narrowing into slits. Fiyero knew he should just back off, but he was feeling inexplicably bold. He somehow knew she wasn't going to harm him.

"That cub sure seemed to think it was," he insisted, glaring right back. He didn't understand why this woman shifted personalities so quickly. Why did she think she needed to scare people into hating her?

"That's not my name," she repeated adamantly, "Perhaps it was once, but I certainly haven't heard people call me by it for a long time. I go by the Wicked Witch of the West now. Elphaba doesn't exist anymore."

Fiyero shook his head, "Why do you do that?"

Elphaba looked confused by this question, but continued to glare as she asked, "What are you on about now?"

"Why do you insist on making yourself out to be what everyone says you are? I saw the way you just handled that Bear cub, and you certainly didn't look very wicked to me," Fiyero replied, looking Elphaba straight in the eye.

The woman actually seemed to be growing a bit uncomfortable under Fiyero's gaze, though her stance did not falter. Her voice grew harsher and she seemed to become annoyed, "I do not make myself out to be anything. I am the Wicked Witch of the West and that is perfectly fine with me."

Fiyero looked at her carefully for a moment before responding, "No it's not…or you wouldn't be so unhappy."

This seemed to catch Elphaba completely off guard, and she pulled her gaze from Fiyero's. She glanced down at the floor for a moment with an unreadable expression on her face before slipping back into her previous persona.

"Go back to your section of the cave," she demanded, pointing one long green finger toward the opening of the cavern across the room.

For a moment Fiyero considered just letting this whole matter drop and obeying. After all, this woman obviously had some serious issues, and of what consequence was it to him if she was really wicked or not? After all, he wasn't getting out of here either way, and he shouldn't really be so concerned with having this rather eccentric woman open up to him.

But for some strange reason, Fiyero couldn't just leave the matter alone. He had a feeling there was something going on here that he had no clue about. Not being informed had never bothered him before, but suddenly Fiyero felt a need to know why the Witch-or Elphaba, he supposed-acted this way.

Fiyero didn't budge, "You're really not the way everyone says you are, are you?"

Now she seemed more distressed than aggravated, "Why are you doing this? I captured and imprisoned you, isn't that proof enough that I'm a dangerous criminal? Do I have to brutally murder you before you'll be satisfied?"

"You wouldn't," Fiyero replied, feeling rather confident in that fact. Besides, he had a nagging suspicion that the green woman couldn't do anything without her spell book anyway.

Elphaba sank back onto the stone seat and dropped her face into her hands, looking defeated. "Please, just leave me the hell alone."

"I just don't understand why you feel you need to be this way. Why do you feel the need to harm innocents and defame the Wizard? What had anyone ever done to you?" he asked.

Elphaba was on her feet in seconds, looking livid, "You don't know the first thing about me! The Wizard is nothing but a manipulative bastard and you'd do well to remember it. I most certainly have never hexed anyone unless they damn well deserved it. Your beloved Wizard is good for nothing but spreading lies and instilling unnecessary fear."

Fiyero was a bit surprised by this rather abrupt tirade, and was unsure how to respond for a moment. He wasn't sure whether or not he believed Elphaba's claims. After all, what would the Wizard have to gain by ruining the reputation of a green witch and creating an enemy for himself. His voice was steady and somewhat suspicious as he spoke again, "If none of the things said about you are true, then why act the part?"

"Well what else am I expected to do? All of Oz has a set mentality about me, and Oz forbid that they should actually form their own opinion rather than believing everything they hear. I'm obviously not going to change them, so I might as well give the people what they want. The Ozians want the Wicked Witch of the West? Then I'll sure as hell give them the Wicked Witch of the West."

Fiyero considered Elphaba's response carefully. In all truth he saw her point. Had she acted any differently upon capturing him he probably would have thought it was a trick. No way would he have formed any knew opinion on her based on her actions, not when stories about her had been drilled into his head for two year.

"So…let's say you're not the way everyone makes you out to be. Why would the Wizard spread lies about you?" Fiyero asked carefully. Elphaba actually seemed eager to speak to him at this point. Fiyero wondered fleetingly how long it had been since she'd spoken to another human being.

"The Wizard spreads lies because he's afraid of me," she said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice, "He and that bitch Madame Morrible couldn't control me, so they had to keep me from becoming a threat to their power. I knew too much, so they ruined my credibility by turning all of Oz against me. The truth is that the Wizard has no real power. He keeps his grip on Oz by spreading fear and lies. It's for that same reason that he's restricting Animal rights. He told me himself that he believed the only way to keep people together was to give them a common enemy. Meanwhile, he's putting down a group of completely innocent Ozian citizens who have as much right to live their lives as we do," Elphaba was now growing passionate about the topic of conversation, and Fiyero could see that she harbored a lot of resentment. If what she said was true, then it seemed that she was more of a victim than a villain.

Now fascinated with the discussion taking place, Fiyero asked, "So…the Animals? That's why you're out here. You believe in fighting for their rights."

"So apparently you're not completely imbecilic. Surprising in one of the Wizard's men, I must say. I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell you, since you aren't going anywhere. There's a large Animal refugee camp nearby, which is why this cave is such a convenient location for me. I spend time there educating the young ones and helping the older Animals to hold on to their power of speech. The Wizard's goal is to keep all of the Animals from speaking, and that's what we're fighting against," Elphaba's eyes lit with fire as she spoke. She was completely and totally dedicated to her cause.

Fiyero was a bit surprised to hear Elphaba's news about the Wizard. He knew the Wizard disliked Animals, and Fiyero had always assumed that this was because Animals were uncultured and uncivilized. However, after actually meeting one of these creatures, he could clearly see that this was not true. Was the Wizard really trying to squash out a group of innocent bystanders who had done no wrong? Was the Wizard really the villain here, or was he just being tricked into playing a witch's mind games? Fiyero wasn't really sure what to believe anymore, but he found himself growing more and more fascinated with Elphaba with each passing moment.

"So…that Bear cub, she was one of the Animals you're helping?" Fiyero realized, putting two and two together. That was why the Animal had known Elphaba's name and why the two had appeared such good friends.

Elphaba nodded in response, "Yes, her name's Lorgen. She's one of the youngest children at the camp. She was playing too close to a ravine and she fell in and split her head on one of the rocks at the bottom. It was just lucky I happened to be nearby at the time and was able to give her proper medical attention."

"You really care about these Animals don't you?" Fiyero asked, his eyes softening.

Elphaba's eyes bore into his as she responded, "Yes well, Animals are a lot more understanding than most people in this world."

With that, Elphaba finally seemed finished with their conversation, and she stood from her seat on the stone. "Don't think that just because I've told you these things that anything's changed. I let my mouth run away with me only because I know you pose no threat. You are still my prisoner and will be treated accordingly."

Fiyero nodded, only half listening. He was still lost in thought about the conversation they'd had only moments ago. Finally he looked up, "Can I see them?"

Elphaba didn't seem to understand his question. "See what?"

"The Animals," he responded, dead serious. For some reason, it suddenly seemed very important that he see this camp Elphaba had spoken of. He had to know if everything she'd told him was true.

Elphaba looked at him as if he were insane, "You must be joking. You can't possibly think I'm that utterly clueless. You think I don't know that you're going to bolt the second I allow you to set foot outside this cave?"

Fiyero wouldn't give up, and he stood so he was now eye level with the green woman, "Fine, then cast some sort of spell on me so I can't leave. Do whatever you feel is necessary to ensure I don't escape."

Elphaba stared hard at Fiyero for what seemed like an eternity, looking him up and down as if trying to determine whether or not he was lying. It appeared she could find no reason not to take him along. After all, if she cast the right spells there was no way he could pose any sort of threat. After a few moments she finally spoke, "Fine, but you will allow me to cast any spells on you I deem necessary, and you will obey any orders I give you. Now get back to your cavern. We leave in the morning."

Fiyero didn't have to be told twice as he slipped into the separate section of the cave and heard the large boulder slide into place behind him.

**Ok, so now Fiyero is beginning to question what he knows. Don't be fooled though, because he still doesn't trust Elphaba or believe everything she's saying. He's just beginning to see her in a different light (no pun intended :P) now. For this reason, she's now going to be referred to as Elphaba instead of the Witch. **

**Oh, and I'm glad you guys liked Lorgen. I always get nervous about creating OCs, even minor ones. Her name actually came from a strange nickname my eight year old cousin gave me for reasons unknown. We actually will be seeing a bit more of her later.**

**Oh, and please don't kill me, but I feel I should announce this in advance. On June 30 I'm going away and I won't be returning until July 17. From June 30-July 7 I'm going to Long Beach Island with my family and one of my best friends, and then from July 8-July 17 I'm going to some medical forum summer program up in Philadelphia with a couple of my other friends. Either way, it doesn't seem likely that I'll have any internet time, and I don't think I'll have time to complete this story before I go. That means nothing for the next couple of chapters, but after that you might have to wait a while. I'm really, really sorry, I hadn't realized this when I posted this story. I swear you'll have a new update or two as soon as I get back!**

**OK, I'm sorry this author's note took up half a page. If you're still here, I'll end by saying please leave me a review and tell me what you thought and I'll have the next chapter up soon!**

**S.P.**


	8. Outdoors

'**Lo all! Sorry I'm a bit late with this chapter, but I was a little busy. I had a party to go to last night and today my friend, our brothers and I were enlisted to sell 50-50 tickets at a marching band concert for six hours. It was actually more fun than it sounds. We sold over $2,500 worth of tickets and my brother, friend and I sang through the entire RENT soundtrack on the way home, much to the dismay of my friend's dad and brother. :P**

**Well anyways, I was trying to get this up before midnight so I would still technically be on time, but I seem to have missed by fifteen minutes. Ah well, enjoy the chapter anyway! It's not very eventful, but hopefully you'll still like it.**

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Fiyero awoke the next morning from the most comfortable sleep he'd had since he'd been captured. He supposed this was because he was pretty secure in the fact that the Witch, Elphaba now, was not going to hex him while he slept. Stretching and yawning, he rolled over to find the boulder that blocked his cavern still firmly in place. He supposed this meant that Elphaba was not yet awake.

Pulling himself up into a sitting position, Fiyero wondered if Elphaba would keep her word and bring him along to the Animal camp today. In truth he was actually rather excited about it. He'd never actually felt the need to know anything in his life before; he'd been perfectly happy coasting through with as little effort as possible. But suddenly this cause felt like something worth fighting for, and the feeling of doing something worthwhile with his time was one that was rather new but not at all unwelcome. He needed to find out as much as possible about the way these Animals lived and were treated. Sure he was shallow and self-absorbed, but he was not about to sit on the sidelines and watch other living creatures being put down for no apparent reason but for the fact that the Wizard needed an enemy.

Fiyero sat on the floor just thinking for a few minutes, a bad habit he found he was beginning to develop, before the boulder finally swung back and Elphaba entered. He twisted his neck to look up at her as she stepped in, a fresh bowl of fruit clutched in her right hand. Her expression was unreadable, and did not betray the conversation that had taken place the day before.

She moved across the cavern swiftly and replaced the empty plate from last night with the bowl of fruit. This time, Fiyero didn't scuttle out of the way as she passed, but rather just watched her with mild interest. At the moment he didn't feel so much like a prisoner rather than a pet waiting to be fed. She also didn't seem as cold and confident as she usually did. In fact, she seemed a bit uncomfortable around him, as if she couldn't act the same way now that she'd confided some of her secrets in him.

She turned to leave, and Fiyero spoke up, "Uh…you're still going to take me with you today right?"

She paused and answered without turning around, "I suppose I don't have much of a choice do I? Come on."

She continued along into the main section of the cave, Fiyero stumbling along behind her as he scrambled to his feet. He could see now that she was headed for her spellbook, and began to feel a bit apprehensive in spite of himself. He was still rather uncomfortable around Elphaba's magic, especially because he couldn't be sure of what was going to happen when she began to chant. Reluctantly, he stepped forward until he was standing only a few inches from Elphaba, who was now flipping through the large book on the table in front of her. After a few moments she stopped, read something over, and then turned to Fiyero with a nod.

Fiyero swallowed hard as Elphaba glanced at the page once more for reaffirmation and then began to chant. Fiyero squeezed his eyes shut, not quite sure what to expect. After a moment, he felt something like a rope wrap around his waste, and his eyes flew open. Though he could feel it, there was nothing there when he looked down, and the sensation vanished after a few moments. He looked up at Elphaba, awaiting an explanation.

Elphaba wasted no time in supplying one, "The spell I just cast has tied us together with invisible bonds. You cannot see or feel them, but if you get more than ten feet away from me at any given time you will begin to feel an uncomfortable tingling. The further away you get, the more painful an electric shock it will become until you get back into range once more. Don't even think of making a break for it."

Fiyero nodded, and scrambled to stay close to Elphaba as she moved toward the main entrance to the cave, afraid of receiving the shock she'd just described. He hadn't planned on making a break for it in the first place. After all, he wasn't quite sure how to get back to the Emerald City from here. He couldn't quite remember what direction he and his guards had taken when pursuing Elphaba, and she would easily recapture him in the time it would take for him to figure out where to go. Now, with this spell in place, he was even less willing to leave her side. After all, he wasn't an idiot. He knew that she was most certainly not bluffing about any unpleasant effects this spell would have.

Elphaba managed to roll back the boulder with a sweep of her hands, and Fiyero marveled at the ease with which she accomplished this task. It would have taken at least ten of his men to roll the huge rock aside. He supposed magic was a good deal stronger than brute force. He realized that there had probably been no chance of taking Elphaba into custody with the twenty-five men he'd had with him. A small army was most likely required to subdue the rather powerful woman. The thought unnerved Fiyero somewhat.

The two stepped out into the main cave, a place Fiyero had not seen since he'd been taken hostage. It felt rather strange to finally be able to leave the small living quarters after being cooped up for such along time. The two proceeded through the cave quickly, Fiyero desperately trying to stay close to Elphaba in the pitch blackness. Then, suddenly, he was completely blinded as they reached the mouth of the cave.

Squinting and shielding his eyes with his forearm, Fiyero got his first look at the outside world in four days. The dazzling sunlight was such a contrast from the dimly lit cave that it seemed to take his eyes forever to adjust. Once they had, he finally got a good look around, and found himself thinking that colors had never looked so vibrant. He hadn't realized just how much he'd missed just being part of the outside world.

However, he was not left with much time to dwell on this, for Elphaba had not even paused upon exiting the cave. Fiyero began to experience a slight tingling sensation, and immediately hurried to catch up to her before the symptoms became more severe. She didn't even seem to be paying him any mind as he fell into step just behind her. He felt rather like an awkward tag along.

The two continued on in silence, Fiyero twisting his head in every direction to take in the surrounding while Elphaba kept her gaze focused straight ahead. Fiyero had the unexpected urge to sing for joy, but he had the strangest feeling that Elphaba wouldn't hesitate to slap him if he so much as though about it. For this reason, he was content to simply amble along with a goofy smile on his face. Never again would he under appreciate the beauty of nature. He supposed nothing was really quite as cherished until you thought you'd never see it again.

It was after about ten minutes of walking that the Animal camp came into view. Just at the bottom of a sloping hill was a rather large group of tents in close proximity. As they drew closer, Fiyero could see Animals of every kind walking together and chatting amicably. They appeared happier and better natured than even the Ozians back at the Emerald City. Fiyero marveled at the sight.

Still, he thought it a bit odd that this settlement was completely out in the open like this. Turning to Elphaba, he said, "Is it really safe for them to be in plain sight like this? I would have thought they'd choose a more appropriate hide out for a band of rebel Animals."

Elphaba turned to acknowledge him for the first time since they'd left the cave together. She seemed to scoff as she replied, "Please, you think the Wizard doesn't know about this place? He's known we were here since this settlement first began. It's just that he wouldn't dare make a move because he knows that I'm involved with this group. He wouldn't touch this place unless he could get me out of the picture first."

Fiyero considered this for a moment, slightly outraged. The Wizard sent the Gale Forcers out with leads on rebellious Animal activity quite often, but the guards often found nothing when they reached their destination. Could it be true that the Wizard had known about this large colony for some time and had been sending the guards out on wild goose chases? Fiyero felt like he'd been wearing a blind fold that had suddenly been yanked off. He'd never even considered doubting the Wizard before, but now he didn't know what to believe.

As he and Elphaba entered the village, several heads turned in their direction. Fiyero began to feel uncomfortable as so many wary gazes fixed on him. As per usual, Elphaba seemed oblivious.

It wasn't long before a portly Sheep came racing up to them. She glanced quickly at Fiyero, obviously taking in his now tattered Gale Force uniform, before turning to Elphaba as if demanding an explanation.

"He's a visitor, Calla," Elphaba said bluntly. The Sheep didn't quite seem satisfied with this rather vague statement.

"It's not that I don't trust you Elphaba, but how can you be sure that he's not a threat? Where did he even come from?" she asked.

"Don't worry; I have a spell on him so he can't go anywhere. As for where he came from…well…he got too close to this place the other day and I had no choice but to keep him from returning to the Emerald City," she said sheepishly, as if she were a child about to be reprimanded. Fiyero thought this seemed rather odd coming from Elphaba. He assumed this Sheep was one of the more prominent figures in the running of this colony.

The Sheep looked incredulous, "He's one of the Wizard's men isn't he? Why on earth would you bring him here? Honestly, I thought you had more common sense than this!"

"Calla, he won't be a threat, I swear. I'll keep a close eye on him and make sure nothing happens. You know how careful I am when it comes to these sorts of things," Elphaba responded. Fiyero thought she sounded more like a child asking for a puppy rather than a woman trying to argue his innocence.

The Sheep's gaze seemed to soften a bit, "I know Elphaba, but you know I feel about outsiders, especially humans, and this man is one of our enemies. I won't press the matter, but I hope you have a logical reason for this. Just be careful,"

Elphaba nodded, "I always am." The Sheep seemed satisfied with this and, with one last dubious look in Fiyero's direction; she finally turned and walked away. She obviously trusted Elphaba's judgment enough to drop the argument.

After witnessing the scene, the other Animals seemed more at ease and returned to whatever they had been doing before the two visitors had arrived. Elphaba continued walking as though nothing had happened, still paying no attention to Fiyero, who was tagging along behind her like a small child. He, on the other hand, was still thinking about the encounter. He realized there was a question Elphaba had neglected to answer.

Gathering up his courage, he moved to fall into step beside her and asked, "You know, that Sheep had a point. I mean, you obviously have no reason to trust me, and I am one of the Wizard's men. Why would you bring me here?" It was true that he was grateful for the chance to see this Animal village, but if he was honest with himself it didn't make much sense that Elphaba had agreed to take him along.

She paused for a moment, as if thinking it over, before she turned to him and said slowly, "I honestly don't know." It wasn't a particular informative response, but the sincerity in the woman's eyes caught Fiyero slightly off guard. In that moment it was obvious to Fiyero that Elphaba was as confused by him as he was by her.

However, the woman held Fiyero's gaze for only a split-second, and the moment was over before Fiyero could completely comprehend what he had seen. Elphaba turned away and fixed her eyes on the path ahead once more, leaving a confused Fiyero stumbling along behind her.

**Yeah, I know it's not the most interesting chapter thus far, but bear with me. Next chapter should be more eventful. Anyway, please leave a review if you read this. You guys have been completely awesome so far and I'm totally grateful. I'll try to get the next update up as soon as possible!**

**S.P.**


	9. Story Time

**Hey guys, sorry this one's a little late. I meant to post it yesterday, but I was busy and completely forgot. Anyways, not much to say here right now. Thanks a ton for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter and I hope you'll enjoy this one.**

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The two continued walking, still generating a few incredulous stares and whispers as they passed through. Elphaba was pointedly ignoring this, but Fiyero found that rather difficult. He kept glancing around at the Animals on all sides, who would turn their heads away quickly as his gaze fell on them. It was all a rather odd in his opinion. But then, he supposed this camp didn't get too many human visitors.

Fiyero simply followed behind Elphaba as she made her way past a number of tents that all looked exactly the same. He realized now that this settlement was larger than it had appeared from the outside and wondered how Elphaba was even able to find her way around. Finally they stopped before a tent that was slightly larger than the others, and Fiyero, who had not been paying attention, walked right into Elphaba. She shot him an annoyed glare but said nothing as the two proceeded inside.

Fiyero looked around as they entered, and was met with the sight of Animals of all different ages and species occupying what seemed to be some sort of learning facility. There were two bookshelves, each half filled with tattered books that looked worn from use. The first shelf was stocked with brightly colored children's books, while the second held larger, more substantial looking novels and manuscripts. There were a few tables and chairs scattered about, at which were seated the older looking Animals. The younger ones seemed content to sit on the floor, some playing with a few simple toys that were scattered about while others observed picture books. There were a few Animals who were moving around the room to interact with the others, and Fiyero assumed these were the teachers. He watched the scene with interest, not sure what to make of it.

Elphaba, seeing the look on his face, turned to explain as they walked further in, "This is pretty much what serves as the school building in this community. The children come here to learn to read and speak properly, and older Animals who have lost the ability come here to try and gain it back. A few of the older Animals who were educated before the Animal bans were instituted serve as the teachers and pass their knowledge on to the next generation."

Fiyero simply stared ahead, only half taking in what Elphaba was saying. The sight was completely amazing. Any remaining doubts he'd had about the intelligence of Animals went right out the window. None of the children fought or quarreled like the spoiled brats Fiyero had grown up with, but rather seemed content to share what little they had. Fiyero watched as a young Cheetah handed off a small toy horse to an Antelope sitting next to him and marveled at the strange sight.

Elphaba continued to explain as though she were a tour guide. Gesturing to the meager collection of books, she said, "All of the books and toys were donated by older Animals who took their belongings with them when they moved out here. They were the smart ones who got out as soon as the bans started. That was how they managed to preserve their powers of speech and move out here to start a new generation of intelligent Animals."

Fiyero wasn't sure what to say. He knew what had happened to the Animals who hadn't escaped. He'd been down to the dungeons so many times before. He'd seen all of the forlorn faces of so many different species, all crammed into tight cages. He'd ignored their pleading eyes and silent cries for help. After all, they had been nothing but stupid beasts and not worth his time. He hated himself for that now. Ashamed, he glanced down at his feet, suddenly feeling like a traitor even though he'd never even officially subscribed to this cause.

He kept his eyes trained on the floor even as Elphaba marched up to a young looking Giraffe and spoke in a business-like manner, "Hello, Sentra, I trust you're well. How is progress today?"

The Giraffe, who had been stacking a pile of wooden blocks, started and turned quickly as Elphaba spoke. "Oh, goodness Miss Elphaba, I didn't hear you come in," she said quickly. Her gaze lingered on Fiyero for a moment, but she obviously did not have the authority to question his presence and so she simply returned her gaze to Elphaba and continued to speak, "Nothing very new to report. The children are learning as quickly as ever, and the elders are making as much progress as can be expected."

Elphaba nodded, her gaze sweeping over the room briefly before she turned to the Giraffe once more, "Has the Wolf who was brought in last week made any progress yet?"

The Giraffe shook her head, "No, still nothing. We have at least one teacher working with him constantly, but there hasn't been any coherent speech as of yet."

Elphaba sighed, "I suppose that's to be expected. How long did you say he was encaged before you found him?"

"Well, we're obviously not too sure, but based on the severity of his regression, we've estimated that it was most likely almost two years or more," the Giraffe said, her eyes hardening.

Elphaba nodded again, "Thank you Sentra, be sure to notify me immediately is anything comes up.

The Giraffe nodded quickly before moving to assist a small Fawn who was holding her picture book upside down. Fiyero glanced over at Elphaba, who once again began to explain as the two made their way toward the door, "This village is not only home to the Animals who live here, but also any escapees who need help. There was an elderly Wolf found wandering around by the camp last week. We know he's an Animal, but he was in a cage for so long that he's almost completely reverted into an animal. We fear the damage may be permanent, but we're not entirely sure because we've never seen a case this severe."

Fiyero nodded, still in awe of everything that was going on in this room. He had never known that there could be entire communities of Animals living together and helping each other like this. He was beginning to think that perhaps being kidnapped had been more of a blessing than a curse. Sure, he still wanted to return home more than anything, but he now knew so much more than he had before. He was no longer just another one of the Wizard's obedient, brainless minions.

Briefly, Fiyero wondered what he would do if he ever did return to his old life. Surely now he couldn't continue leading the hunt for the Witch and trying to stomp out bands of Animals who were just trying to survive. He'd seen too much; he knew too much. Still, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he most likely would return to his old post. After all, what choice did he have? It was the only way he and Glinda knew how to live, and Fiyero didn't have the courage to oppose everything he'd ever known. Maybe Elphaba was brave enough to keep going when all of Oz was against her, but Fiyero was used to having people admire and respect him. For the first time, he realized that Elphaba was a truly admirable person for everything she did, especially in the face of so much opposition.

He continued to follow her, and for a moment it appeared she would just leave, but she instead veered in the direction of a group of younger children. They looked up and smiled as she approached, calling her over enthusiastically. It was apparent that they were quite familiar with Elphaba, for some even used her name. The green woman bid them all hello, and then took a seat in a blue plastic chair, around which the young Animals formed a circle. One of them, a young Zebra, approached her and handed over a thin children's book. Fiyero stood outside of their little circle awkwardly, quite unsure as to what was going on.

Opening the book, Elphaba began to read, capturing the children's attention instantly. Fiyero was quite surprised by the easy, almost motherly tone her voice took on as she told the story, even changing her voice a bit for each character. Fiyero soon found himself just as entranced as the children, though he didn't catch a word of the actual story.

Soon enough she'd finished, and with a firm 'The End', she closed the book with a flourish. The children gave a polite round of applause, expressing their thanks as they moved away to return to whatever they'd been doing previously. Fiyero got the feeling that Elphaba did this sort of thing quite often. She stopped to talk to a few of the children, even exchanging hugs with a few of them, before she finally stood and turned to leave, motioning for Fiyero to follow. She didn't look at him as she passed, but Fiyero could have sworn he'd seen a smile grace her features as he caught a glimpse of her face. A smile which, he noted, was actually quite lovely.

The thought came so suddenly that it caught Fiyero completely off guard. He paused for a moment, blinking stupidly, before he shook his head and jogged ahead to catch back up with Elphaba. He decided it must just be the shock of everything that had happened in the last few days finally getting to him. After all, surely he had not just noticed something attractive about this woman. She had _green_ skin for Oz's sake. Besides, wasn't he engaged to Glinda the Good, the woman for whom every man in Oz would kill to call his own? Sure, Fiyero had fooled around a bit in college, but he'd been completely faithful to Glinda since they'd been officially engaged. There were so many women he could have at the snap of his fingers, so why on earth would he suddenly start noticing these things about the 'Wicked Witch of the West'?

Fiyero shook his head again, chalking it up to temporary insanity. Besides, it wasn't as if he'd been having...intimate thoughts about the woman or something; he'd simply noticed her smile. It didn't mean he was attracted to her or anything…right? No, of course not. He was only attracted to Glinda. Glinda was his fiancée and the love of his life. Although, a voice in the back of his head told him, he probably hadn't spared as much thought to Glinda over the course of the past few days as he should have.

Fiyero shoved these strange thoughts from his mind and raised an arm to shield his eyes once more as he and Elphaba exited the large tent and stepped back into the sunlight. He wasn't sure where they were headed now, but his curiosity was most certainly peaked. It seemed that they had just begun to walk when a small, but slightly familiar voice called out from behind them.

"Miss Elphaba!" Fiyero turned to identify the source of the voice, and immediately recognized the small Bear cub bounding toward them as the one Elphaba had healed the other day. Elphaba immediately bent down and scooped the Bear up as the cub ran straight into her arms.

"Hello there Lorgen," said Elphaba, her voice light. She was smiling again, and Fiyero forced himself to ignore this, "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine! I wanted to go to school, but mama wanted me to stay home," the cub replied eagerly, looking slightly peeved, "Did I miss story time?"

"I'm afraid you did," Elphaba responded, "But tell you what; I'll let you pick the story tomorrow."

The Bear's eyes lit up almost instantly, "Okay! I already know which one I want to hear!" She clapped her paws together for emphasis, as though this was the most exciting thing that could possibly happen to her. After a moment her gaze fell on Fiyero, and she seemed to perk up even more, "Oh, hello Mister Fiyero! It's nice to see you again!"

Fiyero simply smiled back and gave a short wave. There was a short pause, before Lorgen's ears twitched and she spoke again, "Oh, I have to go. I hear my mama calling me. I'll see you tomorrow Miss Elphaba, Mister Fiyero."

With that, the cub leapt from Elphaba's arms, bounding off in the direction she'd come from. Elphaba stared after her, still smiling as she watched the cub's retreating back. Fiyero was once again awed by the amount of compassion Elphaba seemed to have for these creatures.

Clearing his throat, Fiyero said unsurely, "You know…it really is amazing. I mean, what you do for these Animals. You really are an admirable person."

Elphaba said nothing in response, but looked away as Fiyero spoke. It could have been a trick of the light, but Fiyero could have sworn he saw her cheeks flush deep green as she turned away.

**Ok, so that's it. I know it's not really very eventful either, but hopefully you guys liked it anyway. Well, please leave a review if you have the time. I'll try to get another chapter or two up before I leave for vacation.**

**S.P.**


	10. Unexpected

**OK, so here's the next chapter. Thanks once again to my readers for the amazing amount of feedback I've been receiving. You guys rock my socks, really. So anyway, I don't want to say anything else about this chapter until after you read it. Enjoy.**

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The two did not return to the cave until later that evening, once the sun had begun to disappear beyond the horizon. After their run in with Lorgen, Elphaba had taken a visit to the Animal's medical center to see if there was anyone in need of help. However, most of the patient's only had minor injuries, nothing that required Elphaba to retrieve her Grimmerie. After checking up on things, they'd finally departed with Elphaba promising to return tomorrow.

They walked in silence as they returned to the cave. Elphaba seemed satisfied by another day of helping the Animals, while Fiyero was still completely in awe of what he'd seen. He could not get over the fact that this place seemed just as civilized as any other part of Oz, maybe even more so than certain regions, and yet the Wizard's goal was to stomp it out. At this point, Fiyero imagined that the world would probably be a heck of a lot nicer if people behaved more like the Animals. After all, he hadn't seen anything even remotely resembling a fight break out for the entire duration of his visit to the camp.

The two entered the cave, and Fiyero walked closer to Elphaba until his eyes adjusted to the light. Unfortunately, the fact that she was swathed in all black prevented her from providing much assistance. After what seemed like an eternity of walking around with his eyes closed, Fiyero finally bumped into Elphaba as she stopped before the entrance to the cave.

With a sweep of the hand the boulder rolled back, and Fiyero was blinded once more as the light from the cave penetrated the darkness. He wondered how on earth Elphaba's eyes had ever adjusted to changing situations so quickly. He was beginning to get a headache from the rapid switches from light to dark.

First thing upon entering the cave, Elphaba moved over to the Grimmerie and chanted a brief spell. Immediately Fiyero could feel bonds he hadn't even noticed before release him. That finished, the two were left standing awkwardly in the middle of the cave, both unsure of what to say.

Turning away, Elphaba moved to the other side of the room to hang up her cloak. Fiyero took this time to initiate an awkward conversation, "I uh…thanks for letting me tag along. It really is wrong. What the Wizard is doing, I mean. And um, I'm glad I got a chance to see that."

Elphaba turned, looking both surprised and pleased by his admission. "Yes well, ignorance seems to be the main problem in Oz right now doesn't it? People follow whatever the Wizard says blindly, not even bothering to think for themselves every once in a while. Perhaps if they actually knew what was going on they wouldn't be so ready to condemn. Of course, anyone who does fight his lies is immediately denounced, so I suppose that option isn't very appealing."

"And that's what happened to you," Fiyero said softly as Elphaba finished her rant. He'd by now come to terms with the fact that the Wizard really was exactly what Elphaba said he was. After all, how could he deny it after everything he'd just witnessed? Fiyero felt a sort of sympathy for the green woman who'd been shunned by society for doing what she believed in.

Elphaba gave him an odd look for a moment before she said, "Why are you doing this?"

Fiyero raised an eyebrow, "Doing what?"

Elphaba rephrased her question, "Why don't you hate me? I kidnapped you, I'm holding you as a prisoner, I've basically ruined your life. Why are you trying to justify that?"

Fiyero thought this over for a moment. In all honesty, he didn't know why he didn't feel more contempt for the woman in front of him. He knew that what she said was true, and yet there was something that made it hard to loathe her. Perhaps it was the fact that she'd obviously had a much harder life than he had, or the fact that she was so passionate about working for a good cause. It took Fiyero a few moments to answer the question, "I-I'm not sure. It's not your fault you kidnapped me. You didn't have a choice; I got too close to capturing you."

Elphaba looked down at her hands, "It still doesn't make much sense. Either way I'm keeping you here against your will. You're one of the Wizard's men, and you've had his principles drummed into your head your entire life. I honestly find it hard to believe that you've suddenly changed sides in less than a week."

Fiyero studied her for a moment. So that was what this was about. She didn't trust that he believed in her cause. He supposed there was some logic behind that. After all, he was a Gale Force guard whose mission it was to capture the Wicked Witch of the West. The fact that he had so readily become a part of the fight for Animal rights probably was cause for suspicion. She probably believed that he had wanted to see the Animal camp as an excuse to leave the cave and possibly find some means of escape.

Fiyero thought this over. It was true that he wanted to escape and return to his old life more than anything, but at the same time he suspected that some part of him was actually enjoying being a prisoner here. When he'd been a part of the Gale Force, he'd simply been another uniformed officer doing the Wizard's bidding and never questioning why. Now, however; he felt like there was so much that had been revealed to him in such a short period of time. He hated to admit it, but he'd changed over the time he'd been here. Gone was the empty-headed pretty boy prince, and in his place was a man who was beginning to develop principles and a mind of his own.

He turned his thoughts to the Witch herself, or Elphaba as he'd now come to know her. It was strange how much his opinion of her had changed over such a short period of time. Ever since college, he'd heard terrible stories about the Wicked Witch of the West and the way she terrorized Oz. She was an icon; the ultimate fear of every Ozian citizen. That most certainly included Fiyero. Ever since he'd first read about the woman in the papers he'd been scared out of his mind at the prospect of ever having a run in with the witch. When he'd become captain of the guard his fears had deepened, and he'd gone out on each assignment with the horrible thought that he might not come back alive.

Now that he'd actually met Elphaba, however; he couldn't believe how much time he'd wasted fearing someone who didn't actually exist. There was no Wicked Witch of the West, only a passionate, headstrong young woman who'd paid for the Wizard's shortcomings. A woman who, Fiyero had noticed, was actually quite lovely once the initial shock of her odd coloring faded.

Once again Fiyero tried to force these strange thoughts from his mind, but he found he could not. Fleetingly, he tried to think of Glinda, but the image did nothing to stop the sudden feelings from creeping up on him. It was true that he hadn't been able to stop himself from admiring Elphaba more and more since they'd been at the camp together. He'd tried his best to look the other way, to convince himself that he was only seeing these things because he was a male and she was the only human female in range.

And yet somehow, deep in the recesses of his recently activated brain, Fiyero could sense that this wasn't the case. The strange sensation he'd been experiencing around her was unlike anything he'd ever felt before, even when with Glinda. Whenever he was close to her he felt short of breath and could feel his stomach tying in knots. At first he'd written this off as the after effects of his initial fear of this woman, but now he couldn't help but think that it was something more. The thought scared him. After all, he was engaged to Glinda the Good, he had a prestigious job, and his life was nearly perfect. Surely he was not so dense that he could not see what he had.

Shaking his head, Fiyero finally broke his train of thought and came back to reality. Refocusing his eyes, he realized that he'd been silent for some time and that Elphaba was now staring at him with a curious expression on her face. Taking a breath, he took a moment to remember what they'd been talking about before he responded, "I know you may not trust me, but I honestly do believe in this cause. I don't hate you Elphaba, and I meant what I said before about you being an admirable person. I may not be happy with the current circumstances, but I know you did what was necessary to ensure your survival.''

Elphaba gave him a strange look, and her expression suddenly became unreadable. Fiyero soon became uncomfortable with this, and asked, "What?"

"Nothing, I just never thought I'd see the day one of the Wizard's guards grew a conscience," she gave him a weak smile, one which he returned after a moment.

The two lapsed into silence, though it was not as awkward as one would expect. Something about the air of the room suddenly felt odd, though Fiyero couldn't quite place what was different. He stared hard at Elphaba for a moment, as if trying to read her thoughts. For a moment he thought he saw something in her eyes. Was it just a trick of the light, or did they suddenly seem to be reflecting exactly what Fiyero was feeling at the moment? And was he just imagining it, or did their faces suddenly seem to be moving closer together?

All time in the room seemed to freeze, and the outside world completely disappeared. Fiyero suddenly completely forgot his situation and who the person sitting across from him was. All rational thought fled his mind as he suddenly leaned in and kissed the 'Wicked Witch of the West'.

**Ok, I know everyone is going to want to injure me with pointy objects, but this is probably the last chapter for 2 ½ weeks until I get back from vacation. I realize this was probably the absolute worst chapter to post right before leaving, but it just worked out that way. Maybe if I have time I'll post the next chapter right before I leave tomorrow, but I'm not promising anything.**

**So anyway, I'm pretty sure this is a chapter most have been waiting for, so what do you think? I was trying to take this relationship slowly, but obviously I had to initiate the actual Fiyeraba somewhere. I hope it was believable and didn't feel too rushed, I'm actually pretty happy with the way it came out.**

**So anyways, please leave a review and tell me what you thought and I'll try my hardest to get the next chapter up by tomorrow.**

**S.P.**


	11. Trust

**Hey guys! Wow, it's been a while. I meant to post this as soon as I got back from Philadelphia, but my laptop is out for repairs and I couldn't find my files on my parent's computers (I just stumbled across them about five minutes ago, which is why I'm posting now) and my dad just landed himself in the hospital and the Harry Potter book came out and everything's been crazy.**

**So anyways, I went to Long Beach Island and to a medical forum in Philadelphia. My best friend ditched me the day before we left for LBI, so that vacation was rather crappy, but the medical conference was amazing. Basically it meant we dormed at Villanova for ten days and visited hospitals and went to "MED sessions". It was so much more fun than it sounds. I met tons of awesome people from all over and did some really cool stuff. I held a human brain, saw an operation, suchered a banana and played a 70 year old having a psychotic episode when we did triage. I also learned this really amusing game called Wa (or is it Wah?), which I won't go into explaining right now. After going to it, I'm pretty sure I want to be a pediatrician.**

**I also went to a midnight party for the seventh Harry Potter book and finished it that day. I won't say anything else about that at the moment. So yeah, that's the abridged version of my July. Sorry for taking up so much room with that. On to the fic!**

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For a few moments all coherent thought fled Fiyero's mind. He seemed to lose all sense of self and rationality and was suddenly focused on what was a very rash and unexpected move. He was not Fiyero Tiggular, he was not engaged, and the woman on the receiving end of this action was most certainly not the supposed Wicked Witch of the West.

All attention was focused on the kiss taking place. Fiyero had never felt anything quite like this, not even when kissing his own fiancée. Unexpectedly, something about it just felt so right that Fiyero could not bring himself to question what was happening or why the kiss had been initiated in the first place. What was even more surprising was that Elphaba seemed to be responding just as eagerly.

Suddenly Fiyero was overcome by need, and the kiss deepened. He was completely lost in the moment and was quickly losing his sense of restraint. He wanted to take the kiss to the next level, and was about to do so when she suddenly broke away. Fiyero was quite surprised by this, and his eyes shot open to the sight of a very flustered witch.

Elphaba seemed completely shocked by what had just happened. Her eyes were wide, and hands had flown to her lips as though she couldn't believe they'd just been pressed against Fiyero's. She held this pose for a couple of moments, before a look of anger flashed across her face, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I-I-" he stuttered. Reality came crashing down around Fiyero rather abruptly. He blinked a few times as the haze began to clear and his mind actually began to process what had just taken place. He'd just _kissed_ the Wicked Witch of the West. What in Oz's name was wrong with him? He hardly even knew this woman! She was his captor for the love of Oz, and he was engaged.

And yet, even as his rational thought began to return, Fiyero could not shake the memory of the way he'd felt in those brief seconds when their lips had been pressed together. It made absolutely no sense, and yet he could not deny the fact that something had most definitely happened between them.

By now Elphaba was on her feet, running a hand through her hair and looking extremely distraught. Fiyero decided that it was definitely not the best idea to leave this incident unresolved, "Elphaba, I-"

She whirled around and cut him off. "Stop calling me that!" she said suddenly, throwing her hands up in exasperation, "You hardly even know me, and I know nothing about you. I have no idea what you're trying to do, but whatever it is stop it. I already have enough problems without you playing mind games."

Fiyero was only mildly surprised by this sudden outburst. By now he'd noticed that Elphaba actually did that rather often. Still, he understood that she was confused right now. Hell, he was too. He wasn't sure where these feelings had come from, or why they were there. All he knew was that he had them, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Elphaba was feeling the same way.

Looking her straight in the eye, he said, "Tell me…just now…did you feel anything?"

This question seemed to catch Elphaba off guard and she stopped for a moment, looking like a deer in headlights. All of the anger she'd harbored moments ago evaporated and was instantly replaced with a sort of nervous anxiety. "Look, I don't know why you're doing this, but stop. You-are-my-_prisoner_. I know you haven't seemed to notice that yet, but you are, and this should most certainly not be happening right now!"

At this point, Fiyero was beginning to lose his cool as well. He didn't understand anything right now; it was as if he were back in college staring at an exam paper. All he knew was that he felt something strange and unexplainable for the woman before him, and he wasn't just going to let this go. Standing up, he said firmly, "It doesn't matter if it's supposed to be happening or not, because it is, and I don't think you can honestly tell me that you don't feel it."

"So what if I do," she was practically shouting now, and she looked so completely lost that Fiyero felt a twinge of sympathy. He had the feeling that Elphaba did not show this much emotion very often, "What difference does it make? I'm a fugitive and you're the guard sent to capture me! There is no 'this', there can most certainly be no 'us' and I'd appreciate it if you'd just go back to hating me!"

Fiyero was almost shouting now, "I don't want to hate you Elphaba! I realize you have trouble trusting people, and that you're a fugitive, and everything else you just mentioned, but I'm not going to hate you. What reason have I given you not to trust me?"

"You're the captain of the Gale Force!" she shouted, her voice had risen an octave and was now sounding more like the one she used when playing the Wicked Witch of the West.

"I know that! But have I given you any other reason not to trust me since I've been here?" Fiyero responded. He was aware that they were now having a shouting match and calmed himself down a bit before he spoke again, "You're right when you say you don't know me, I don't even know myself anymore. I've changed since I've been here and I can't ignore it anymore. I know that I don't know you very well either, but I'd like to if you'd just let me. Why do you have such a problem with letting people in?"

Though Fiyero had calmed down a bit, it was apparent that Elphaba hadn't. Her eyes blazed as she responded, "Why do you think I have trouble letting people in? What has that ever gotten me but grief? I've been perfectly fine by myself, and I would have continued to be perfectly fine by myself if you hadn't been hunting for me!"

Deciding that his goal at the moment shout be to calm Elphaba down, Fiyero spoke in what he hoped was a more comforting voice, "Elphaba look, I know you have trust issues and that there's no way I could possibly hope to get through to you now, but just hear me out. I don't know how or why, but there is definitely something going on between us whether you want to acknowledge it or not. Ignoring this is not going to make it go away, and I don't think you should push me away like this until we can sort this out."

Elphaba still looked disgruntled, but thankfully she wasn't screaming like a lunatic anymore. Dropping back onto the stone behind her, she said, "And what exactly is 'this'?"

Fiyero paused for a moment, before responding tentatively, "I don't know…what do you want it to be?"

Elphaba dropped her head into her hands, obviously not sure how to answer this question, "How am I supposed to know? I've never even been kissed before this, and it's all happening way too fast."

Fiyero scooted a bit closer to her, but didn't dare touch her for fear of scaring her away. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he said, "Look, I know you're confused. I'm confused too. I don't know what this is or what it's going to be, but for now we can just take it slow and see what happens. You can trust me Elphaba, I promise,"

Elphaba raised her eyes to his, and he could tell he'd almost won her over. "Why are you even doing this? Surely you can do better than me," she said, a sort of half-determination in hr voice. Fiyero could hear what was really meant by her words. She wanted this, but she couldn't bring herself to believe that someone else could want it with her.

Briefly Fiyero thought of Glinda, and a wave of guilt rushed over him. He shouldn't be doing this; he was engaged. However, he'd begun to realize that he'd never really loved Glinda. Sure he liked her well enough, but he'd never actually felt anything around her. He wasn't sure what these feelings he had around Elphaba were, but he was almost positive it was more than he would ever feel for his blond fiancée.

Taking a deep breath, Fiyero made his decision. Forcing all thoughts of Glinda from his mind, he turned to Elphaba and said, "I don't want to do better."

Elphaba studied him a moment, as if trying to discern whether or not he was being sincere. After a moment, she said, "Fine, but we're taking this very slow, and don't expect much to come of it.

Fiyero smiled, glad he'd managed to talk her into it. Still grinning, he leaned in to kiss her again, but was surprised when a green hand pressed against his lips and stopped him.

"We're taking this _very _slow," Elphaba said sternly, still looking a bit unsure of herself. Fiyero was slightly surprised as he pulled back, never having been denied before, but obeyed Elphaba's wishes all the same.

"Fine then," he said, taking her hand and shaking it jokingly. She rolled her eyes but allowed a hesitant smile to appear on her lips. Fiyero couldn't help but allow himself to admire her openly now. She really was rather beautiful when she smiled. "Good night Miss Elphaba."

She gave him a look such as a mother would give a misbehaving child, but played along all the same, "Goodnight to you too Master Fiyero."

Still light hearted, Fiyero flashed Elphaba one more winning smile before turning and trotting toward his cavern like a trained puppy. He was still grinning goofily when the boulder slid into place, blocking him from view.

**OK, so what do you think? I was really trying hard not to make this sound overdone or drawn out. I hope it was believable and didn't sound too sappy. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. I should get my laptop back in a couple of days, so I'll post the next chapter once that happens. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and aren't too annoyed with the wait.**

**S.P.**


	12. Growing Closer

**Hey guys, sorry this took so long! I'm having a bit of a block right now, and it's taking me a while to write the chapter that comes after this one. I'm about halfway done with it, and had planned to finish it before I posted this one, but I couldn't do it so I just decided to put this one up.**

**Well anyway, I wrote this one about three weeks ago when I was in Long Beach Island, a rather crappy vacation to say the least. It's really not my best chapter, and it's a bit cheesy, but hopefully not horrible. Anyways, I'll stop talking now and let you read.**

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Fiyero woke the next morning to find a smile still in place on his face. Yawning, he propped himself up on his elbows and stared, transfixed, at the large boulder that was blocking his exit as usual. He knew that just beyond that boulder was the woman with whom his relationship had changed quite abruptly last night. He didn't know what it was about her, but just being in her presence was enough to make him grin like an idiot. It was strange and inconceivable, but it appeared as though he was falling for Elphaba, and falling hard.

Pulling himself to his feet, he stretched and yawned before glancing around his small cavern with no interest whatsoever. He wondered briefly what time it was and how long he'd have to wait before Elphaba would let him out. He shook his head as he realized how strange it was that this thought came naturally. He and Elphaba certainly had a more interesting relationship so far than any of the other couples in Oz.

After a few moments of standing, Fiyero grew bored and fell into a sitting position once more, his chin in his hands. This waiting was killing him; his body was not made to be in one place for long periods of time unless unconscious. For a few moments he wondered if he should simply fall asleep for a while longer, but soon decided against it. He wasn't sure if it was nerves, restlessness or excitement, but he was far too jittery right now to even think about closing his eyes. He groaned. This was torture far worse than any math class he'd ever slept through.

Lucky for Fiyero, he didn't have to wait very long. About fifteen minutes later the boulder was finally rolled back, causing Fiyero to start as Elphaba entered. He leapt to his feet, and she looked at him unsurely for a moment. He knew she was probably still having emotional conflicts over what had happened the night before.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Fiyero took the initiative to begin a conversation. "Well good morning Miss Elphaba," he said with exaggerated politeness, throwing in a little bow and then shooting her one of most charming grins. Things like this usually had the ladies falling at his feet.

Elphab didn't exactly swoon, but she did offer him a small smile, which gave Fiyero a strange tingling feeling in the pit of his stomach that was quite unfamiliar. Instead of putting his food in the corner this morning, she handed the bowl of fruit to him and said, "Be ready in five minutes."

With that she stepped out of his cavern and crossed the room to retrieve her cloak while Fiyero made short work of his breakfast. Briefly he wondered where she even got this fruit from, but assumed there must be an orchard of some sort nearby. Perhaps she went out to pick it at night before she went to sleep? Fiyero decided it wasn't worth puzzling over as he finished his last piece of apple and joined Elphaba on the other side of the cave.

She glanced up at him as she tied the black cloak around her neck, and Fiyero felt his heart flutter once more. How had he not noticed this feeling around Elphaba before? It seemed far too strong to ignore. Fiyero wasn't exactly sure what it was yet, but he was pretty certain that he liked it.

Despite their change in relationship, Elphaba wasn't taking any chances. She quickly cast the same spell she'd used yesterday on Fiyero before the two proceeded out of the cave in silence. Elphaba seemed to be trying not to look in his direction, but Fiyero kept glancing over at her and trying to catch her eye. He wondered if he should try to take her hand, but figured that she wouldn't take kindly to that. It seemed to him like she was enjoying watching him squirm.

They once again exited the cave and moved into the sunlight, Fiyero realizing that this didn't seem to dazzle his eyes as badly any more. As they proceeded he scrambled to get nearer to Elphaba, telling himself that this was because he was still afraid of the spell's effects. She didn't seem to be paying him any mind, but he decided not to pester her.

They both remained silent as they neared the small village.

The pair did not receive as many strange stares as they passed through, for the Animals seemed to have adjusted to Fiyero's presence a bit since yesterday. However, Fiyero still felt like an outsider, an intruder in another world. He tried to ignore these feelings as he followed Elphaba through the town.

However, she seemed to pick up on his uncertainty and said, "Oh, don't worry about them. It took them all a while to get used to my presence too."

Glad she was finally speaking to him, Fiyero grinned and replied jokingly, "Oh, I find that hard to believe, you have such a welcoming presence."

"You're quite the charmer aren't you?" Elphaba asked, sarcasm evident in her voice though a small smile was on her lips.

Fiyero smiled back. "I try."

They walked together in companionable silence for a bit longer before they came upon the same school house they'd visited yesterday. Elphaba stopped walking and ushered him inside. Fiyero was still amazed by the sight, even though he was better prepared for it this time.

After checking up on progress once more, Elphaba led Fiyero over to the story circle, where several eager Animal children were already sitting in a circle. Lorgen was present as well this today, and she sprung up as Elphaba approached, a thin children's novel clutched in her paws.

"You said I could pick today Miss Elphaba," she said excitedly, holding the book out, "and this is my favorite!"

Elphaba accepted the book, smiling at the eager cub. She moved to take her seat at the center of the circle, but she halted as though having second thoughts. "You know," she said, "I think it would be fun if we had a guest reader today. What do you think?"

There was a small cheer from the children, though they looked a bit confused by the proposal. Fiyero, realizing what was coming, turned to make a quick getaway, but soon found himself forced into the plastic chair with the small book in his lap. He stared out at the eager Animal faces with apprehension, unsure of what to do. He was an only child, and he'd never been great with children.

"This is Fiyero," Elphaba explained, "He's going to be reading to you today."

Fiyero looked down at the book as the children applauded him politely once more. It was titled 'The Three Bears', a name Fiyero did not recognize. Still, he took a deep breath, opened to the first page, and began to read.

The children watched him with rapt attention as he read through the short story, but Fiyero simply concentrated on the words. He did not look up until he'd finished, and when he did he was met with the sight of several smiling faces. He couldn't help but smile too as he stood up and Elphaba moved to take the book from him. He waved goodbye to the children as they left, before turning to face Elphaba.

"What was that about?" he asked as they started toward the exit.

Elphaba shrugged, "You said you wanted to be a part of this cause right? Well you've got to start somewhere."

Fiyero nodded, realizing that it actually had felt good to help out, even if it was only in a very small way. He couldn't believe he'd been so self absorbed for so long when there was such an amount of good that could be done. He smiled back at Elphaba as they continued further on into the village.

Throughout the day, Elphaba and Fiyero seemed to be loosening up around each other more and more with each passing minute. By mid afternoon they were chatting like long time friends, and Fiyero could not believe what an amazing woman Elphaba had turned out to be. He'd never met anyone with such admirable strength and determination. He didn't understand how anyone could be afraid of someone so fiery and passionate, even though he himself had been not very long ago.

They finally left the village later that evening, both in high spirits and feeling very relaxed in each other's company. Once again Fiyero felt the sudden urge to take her hand in his own, and this time decided to take a chance. Elphaba flinched as his hand suddenly enveloped her own, obviously not expecting the contact, but she did not pull away. Fiyero was grateful for this and they continued to walk hand-in-hand.

After a few moments Elphaba initiated conversation once more. "So what do you think of the village? I'm sure being here doesn't compare with the life you had back in the Emerald City." She said guiltily, her gaze dropping to the floor.

"Elphaba," he said, trying to make her look him in the eye, "I think being out here is probably one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. Whether it was of my own free will or not, being out here has changed me. Being with you has changed me, and I honestly don't know if I would choose to go back to the Emerald City at this point."

He could tell by the way she would not look at him that she did not believe him, but he wasn't sure what else he could say to convince her. He decided to change the subject, "Where did you live? I mean, before you…moved out here."

"I'm from Munchkinland originally," she said, obviously glad to be on a new topic, "My father was the governor, but my sister took over after he passed away."

Fiyero nodded, not sure of what else to say on the matter. He'd already known about Elphaba's sister's position, and he also knew full well what the munchkins thought of her and her oppressive laws. Still, he supposed he'd never really connected the dots and realized that it must mean that Elphaba was a daughter of the governor as well.

He was about to comment on this, when he realized that Elphaba had suddenly stopped walking and was staring straight ahead with a look of horror on her face. Fiyero followed her gaze and felt his heart drop into his stomach.

There, right outside the entrance to the cave, was a battalion of about sixty Gale Forcers. It appeared that some had already entered the cave, but those still outside froze to face Elphaba and Fiyero. For a few moments nobody moved, and Fiyero could only stare hopelessly between Elphaba and his own troops. There was no where to run and no means of escape, they'd been spotted.

**So yeah, I ended it on another cliffhanger. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible; I have no idea why it's so hard to write. I don't even have writer's block, I know what I want to happen, and I just can't find the patience to write it all down. Please leave me a review and tell me what you though of this chapter. I could sure use the motivation.**

**Oh, and I know a lot of you are impatient for Glinda's name to come up, as is evident by your reviews. Please bear with me; I swear it'll happen eventually. **

**S.P.**


	13. Shattered Trust

**Hello everyone! Well, I actually managed to finish this chapter rather quickly, thanks mostly to your amazing and very motivating reviews. I'm so glad so many people are enjoying this story, and your reviews are always appreciated!**

**Well, that's all I have to say right now. Oh, and because I seem to be too lazy to keep up with replying to reviews, I'm going to go back to answering them at the end of each chapter. It's just easier for me this way and I'm not sure why I stopped in the first place. Well anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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Fiyero felt his breath catch in his throat as he stared back at his troops. How could he have been so stupid? Of course there were going to be soldiers out searching for him, he was their captain! In fact, he was surprised it had taken them this long to find him, though he supposed it had taken them a while to find the area and decide on a course of action. A course of action they hadn't even needed, because Elphaba and Fiyero had practically walked right into them. Helplessly he turned to Elphaba, who was watching the scene with wide eyes, disbelief clearly written across her face.

The soldiers seemed to take a few moments to compose themselves, but soon began shouting and racing at the two figures still frozen on the hilltop. Fiyero felt as though he was watching the scene through someone else's eyes. Elphaba, apparently too stunned to move, made no attempt to flee as twenty guards closed in around her. It was not until two of them ceased her arms that she seemed shaken back into reality, and Fiyero immediately realized that she was slipping back into character.

With a few muttered words the three guards nearest Elphaba went flying, freeing up her arms. However, other men had joined the fight now, shouting and closing in on her. She continued to repeat the spell, but it was obvious she was outnumbered, and she could do nothing more powerful without the aid of her spellbook. For every three or four guards she knocked back five more would take their place. Fiyero could only watch helplessly as he was shoved back in the chaos of the impending capture. Finally, apparently exhausted, Elphaba stopped fighting and hung her head. Sensing her surrender, two of the guards ceased her arms again, the rest staying close by in case she attempted to escape once more.

Fiyero watched numbly as she was dragged away. He knew he should say something, order the guards to release her, but what good would it do? After all, it was sixty to two, and Fiyero doubted such an order would be obeyed. He did not answer as a few of the guards crowded around him, asking him if he was OK and cheering the long awaited capture of the Wicked Witch of the West. He felt as though his throat had sealed itself shut.

He caught another glimpse of Elphaba as they pulled her away. She struggled a bit as she turned to face Fiyero. He expected to see defeat in her eyes, but instead was taken aback by the blaze of fury that was present there. Her eyes boring into his own, she hissed, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you."

The words were so soft that Fiyero almost missed them, and yet they hit him like a slap in the face. He knew he was betraying her with every second of his silence, and yet he still made no move to help her. The guards dragged her to the front of the ranks, and Fiyero merely blended into the group as the guards began to march, too ashamed to even look at her.

The march back to the palace was one of cheer and celebration for the guards, who were overjoyed with their success. Fiyero walked with his head down, nearly forgotten in the center of the group. He was not in much of a mood to celebrate at the moment. Elphaba was visible from where he was standing, and he wanted nothing more than to explain to her that he'd had nothing to do with this capture. However, this was obviously impossible at the moment.

The guards were moving swiftly now, obviously still running on adrenaline, and the group reached the palace about four hours later. Upon entering, they proceeded immediately to the dungeons, much to Fiyero's surprise. Usually prisoners were brought before the Wizard and the guards would await his orders before taking any further course of action. Fiyero supposed they weren't taking any chances with Elphaba.

He watched as they overpowered her once more and managed to force her into a cell, though by this point she really wasn't putting up much of a fight. Fiyero tried to think of something to say, some plausible reason why Elphaba should be kept out of the dungeons, but he could think of nothing. Perhaps just being back in the Emerald City was causing his brain to revert to its old ways.

Once Elphaba was behind bars, a better part of the guards departed, obviously feeling their presence was no longer required. Of the remaining half, two rushed off to tell the Wizard of their success and the rest remained behind to guard the cell. Fiyero stayed with those by the cell, simply because he could think of nothing else to do at the moment. He looked back at Elphaba, who was sitting with her legs crossed and a blank expression on her face. She was not going to give the Gale Forcers the satisfaction of seeing her show any sort of emotion.

There was silence for all of about two seconds before one of the more arrogant guards spoke up, "Didn't think you could hide forever now did you? We were bound to catch up with you sooner or later, you green menace to society." The guard grinned cruelly and spat at her through the bars, but Elphaba did not so much as flinch. The other guards began to jeer at her as well, but were cut off moments later as the dungeon door swung open and a very anxious looking Glinda the Good swept in.

With an extremely high pitched squeal, she bolted straight for Fiyero and enveloped him in a bone crushing hug. "Oh, Fiyero darling, I'm so glad you're alright!"

Fiyero was so surprised by this sudden affection that he could think of nothing to say. He could do nothing but stand there until Glinda was finished, for she'd unintentionally pinned his arms to his sides. Briefly Fiyero snuck a look at Elphaba, who had obviously forgotten that she was supposed to be acting unaffected. Her eyes were as wide as saucers, and her face showed anger, hurt, confusion, and a myriad of other emotions. No one else seemed to notice this, however; for their attention was focused on Glinda.

She finally pulled away a few moments later, and turned to address the guards. Speaking in the most authoritative tone possible, she said, "I'd like a moment alone to…interrogate the Witch, if you please."

Immediately the guards protested, "No Miss Glinda, she's too dangerous for us to allow you to be in here alone with her."

"That's alright, Captain Fiyero can stay with me to make sure nothing happens," she insisted.

Fiyero nodded nervously in agreement to this statement, not sure what Glinda was planning to say to Elphaba. Perhaps there was someway he could speak to her before she condemned the green witch. He had to convince her that Elphaba had done nothing to harm him, or he was sure the consequences would be dire. However, what Glinda said as soon as the other guards had left the room caught him completely off guard.

Once she was sure they were out of earshot, she moved closer to the bars and said, "Oh Elphie, are you alright? What on earth were you thinking?"

"It's nice to see you too Glinda," Elphaba said evenly, her eyes focused on the floor once more.

Shocked, Fiyero could do nothing but look back and forth between the two women, completely at a loss for words. However, before he could question Glinda, she turned and asked, "Fiyero, what in Oz's name happened to you?"

"I-um…I," Fiyero stuttered, trying desperately to form a sentence. He wasn't sure whether he was trying to fabricate a lie as to why he'd been missing for a week, or ask Glinda why the hell she'd just addressed the supposed Wicked Witch of the West as 'Elphie'. He supposed it was whichever of the two left his mouth first.

However, seeing that speaking with Fiyero was obviously not getting anywhere, Glinda turned toward Elphaba once more and said, "Oh Elphie, I have no idea how we're going to get you out of here! If I let you go, Madame Morrible and the Wizard will know it was me! I can't ask any of the other guards for help either, because none of them would even consider it! Oh Elphaba…." There were tears in Glinda's eyes now, though Elphaba still looked uncaring.

Fiyero's mind was reeling. Glinda had mentioned Madame Morrible, but how could Elphaba possibly know who she was? His thoughts flashed back to the Shiz University card he'd found wedged between the pages of that old Animal Rights book, and his heart nearly stopped beating. Suddenly everything made sense.

Now he knew why Elphaba's name had sounded so familiar to him. She was _the_ Elphaba, the friend Glinda had lost in the Emerald City so many years ago. He couldn't believe he hadn't connected the dots sooner. Elphaba hadn't been killed by the Wicked Witch, she'd _become _the Wicked Witch! Fiyero had been having an affair with his fiancée's best friend! He felt a strong surge of guilt. He should have told Elphaba that he was engaged right from the beginning, now she would really think he was a lying scumbag.

Suddenly their attention was diverted as the dungeon doors swung open and Madame Morrible entered, flanked by the two guards who had run off to contact the Wizard earlier. The rest of the guards, who had obviously been waiting outside, now re-entered the chamber as well.

Morrible glanced into Elphaba's cell with a triumphant smirk on her face before turning to speak to Glinda, "Well my dear, I know you probably wanted time to "interrogate" the witch," she began, in a tone that made Fiyero wonder exactly how much the woman really knew. "But I think it would be best if you and the captain retired now and left this matter to the Wizard. After all, your fiancé has been through a dreadful ordeal. It can't be all too pleasant, being a prisoner of the Wicked Witch of the West."

At Morrible's words Glinda's expression turned to one of disbelief, and she cast a shocked look at Elphaba. However, she could say nothing with so many guards present, and Elphaba appeared unable to look Glinda in the eyes. Fiyero wanted to say something, but he knew he'd have to wait until he could get Glinda alone to explain what had happened.

"Well, I'll need ten of you men to stay and guard this cell, the rest of you may return to your normal duties. Glinda and Captain Fiyero, please don't worry yourselves about the matter, it will be sorted out accordingly, please go and settle yourselves, you've been through trying times.

Seeing no reason to argue, Fiyero took Glinda's hand and began to lead her from the room. After all, there was obviously nothing more they could do here and the sooner he explained everything to Glinda the better. Perhaps they could think of some way to help Elphaba once everything was sorted out.

However, as he began to walk form the cell, he felt a peculiar yet strangely familiar tingling sensation overcome him. It grew steadily stronger, until finally he could bear it no more and fell to his knees. In an instant he could sense that several concerned guards had rushed to his side, trying to gauge what was wrong with him. However, Fiyero already knew what had happened. Elphaba had never lifted the spell she had cast on him earlier that morning.

They were still bonded together.

**Yeah, I realize that by now you're probably all fed up with the cliffhangers, but I just love them to much to give up. I'll quit tomorrow, I swear.**

**Well, as promised, I'm going to answer some reviews now:**

**MoonlitInoku: Well, you called that one! Although Fiyero's pretty much pretending because he has no choice, not because he's really being smart about it I suppose. And I'm glad you liked the book reading scene. I needed to get some fluffy stuff in before the drama began.**

**X-Kate-X: Le gasp, how can you forget about a chocolate donut!? Well, that mystery aside, I'm glad you liked the chapter and thanks for the review!**

**LostOzian: Yeah, Elphaba's definitely not too pleased with him right now. But don't worry, I swear she won't brutally murder him. Although that might just be because she's detained at the moment, but you know how it is.**

**Elphabathedelirious32: Wow, I'm glad to hear you like the story that much. :) Thanks muchly for your review!**

**OMG it's WickedJelly: I'm good, thanks. :) Aww…but torturing the readers is fun. Can't I do it just a liiiittle bit? Pleeeaaase? And thanks, I'm glad to hear you liked the chapter. I shall shush now.**

**missfit: Um…thanks for the suggestions, but I already have an outline for this story and no exactly what I want to happen. I'm glad you like it though, and thanks for reviewing. And yes, I have read the book, three times actually.**

**danderson: Heh, well, if you count Fiyero's little thought about it as coming up in conversation, then I suppose it did. I'm glad you like the story and thanks for reviewing.**

**BubblyPhantom: Glinda has been "mentioned". :P**

**Well, that took up a bit of space, but at least I said everything I wanted to say, which I would have been too lazy to do if I had to send out individual messages. Well, please leave a review and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible!**

**S.P.**


	14. Negotiations

**Hey everyone! I'm happy to say that this chapter was pretty easy to write, and I managed to completely finish it all in one shot last night. Well anyway, this chapter is a bit shorter than usually, but I think it's actually my favorite one so far. I won't say anything else. Read and enjoy and I'll answer comments at the end.**

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With the remainder of the strength that was rapidly fleeing his muscles, Fiyero began to scramble backwards frantically, ignoring the concerned cried of those crowded around him. He wasn't sure what sort of long term effects the spell could cause, and he knew he needed to get back into the safe zone before he was forced to find out. Only once he was close enough to Elphaba that the strange sensation left his body did he finally allow himself to collapse on the floor, panting heavily. He looked up at the concerned faces around him as he struggled to sit up.

Ignoring the ringing in his ears, he nodded weakly in response to those asking if he was alright. Only once he stood on shaky legs did the entire crowd seem to calm down and realize that he was going to be okay. Glinda seemed shocked by the goings on, and she was standing at Fiyero's side clinging to his arm. He really wished he'd had a chance to explain things before they'd gotten so out of hand.

However, Fiyero didn't have the chance to say anything, for as soon as the whole scene was over one of the guards turned and demanded "What have you done to him?"

This was directed at Elphaba, who had been watching the whole scene from her cell. She too seemed to have forgotten that the spell was still in place, judging by the expression of shock on her face. However, this was soon replaced by a smug grin as she turned to answer the guard.

"I've done nothing," she said, her voice sounding a bit more menacing than Fiyero remembered it, "It's the effects of a spell I cast earlier this morning and never had the chance to remove."

"Then remove it now!" the same guard shouted.

Elphaba still seemed indifferent, though Fiyero knew that she was probably as worried by this complication as he was. However, he could practically see the cogs turning in her mind. She knew she had the upper hand at the moment, and she was going to play it if it meant a chance at her freedom.

"I can't," she replied, narrowing her eyes, "I don't remember the spell to remove it, and my spellbook was left behind when you idiots dragged me here."

The guard began to move forward to approach the cell, but he was stopped by Madame Morrible, who held out her arm in front of him. The man seemed a bit annoyed by this, but he did not question it as he stepped back among the other guards. Morrible herself stepped up to the bars, looking at Elphaba as though sizing her up.

"I think you had best remove that spell dearie, if you know what's good for you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The rest of the crowd watched her with bated breath.

Elphaba stood and drew closer to the bars as well, so that she and Morrible were now practically nose to nose. Eyes narrowed into slits, she replied, "I've told you that I don't remember the spell. You're supposed to be so powerful; why don't you remove the spell yourself?"

"You know very well there's no chance of my finding the counter spell, not when you so graciously stole the only spellbook capable of assisting me you conniving little thief. I think you're lying, and I think that if you can't remove this spell we'll have to kill you more quickly than we'd originally planned," Morrible snapped, her voice much louder now.

Unexpectedly, Elphaba grinned at this, as though silently laughing at some sort of strange inside joke. "You wouldn't do that," she said, her voice oddly calm, "because if you kill me while this spell is active, your precious captain dies with me."

A stunned silence met this statement, as though no one in the room could quite believe what they had heard. Fiyero was of course the most shocked to hear this, and could do nothing but gape openmouthed at Elphaba. Certainly she had never mentioned that particular side effect to him before.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Morrible spoke, "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Elphaba responded, her face betraying nothing. Morrible seemed to have no response to this, and it was evident she was not absolutely positive that Elphaba was lying. Fiyero really hoped no one would be too keen on testing it.

There was another long pause before Morrible spoke again. "The spell book then," she said, sounding annoyed and a bit desperate at this point, "Where is the Grimmerie?"

"It's safely hidden in the place that I called my last home. The entrance to this hideout is well hidden, and only I know the spell to reveal it," said Elphaba.

Morrible was obviously losing her patience quickly, "Well then? Tell me where it's hidden!"

Elphaba crossed her arms, "I'm sorry, but why would I be inclined to disclose that information?"

It was obvious that Morrible could think of no response. There was no way she could force Elphaba to give her the information, and she couldn't simply kill the green woman, for there was the chance it would kill Fiyero as well. He wasn't sure how worried Morrible was for his safety, but it wouldn't be a good move to consciously put his life on the line with so many witnesses present. Torture didn't even seem an option, for it wasn't clear how deep their connection went and there was obviously a chance Fiyero might feel that as well. There seemed no obvious solution to this predicament, Elphaba had them backed into a corner.

Morrible narrowed her eyes, "Then how do you suggest we get rid of the spell?"

"If you'll release me, I'll take your captain, go back to my hiding place and reverse the spell myself," she said.

Fiyero was pretty sure Morrible had seen this coming, but the woman still appeared outraged that Elphaba would suggest such a thing. "How foolish do you think I am girl? We've waited too long for your capture, and if you think we're going to release you this easily you're obviously delusional."

"Fine," Elphaba said coolly, "then I suppose the captain and I will be getting rather cozy together. Either that or you can start planning his funeral as well as your celebrations for my death."

Glinda, who couldn't seem to believe that her friend was behaving this way, seemed to want to say something to Elphaba. However, as she obviously couldn't address the woman with so many guards present, she instead turned to Morrible and said frantically, "Madame Morrible, you can't-"

"Don't you tell me what I can or cannot do!" Morrible snapped, causing Glinda to take surprised step backwards. However, seeing the shocked stares she was getting from everyone present, she composed herself and continued in a much calmer voice, "Don't worry dear, we're not going to let anything happen to our Captain Fiyero."

Fiyero was immeasurably glad to hear this; he'd grown rather fond of living.

Morrible turned back to face Elphaba, obviously resigned to the fact that the green woman held the upper hand at the moment. Resentfully, she conceded, "Fine, you'll be released and allowed to return to your hiding place and undo the spell yourself," she began, but upon seeing Elphaba's triumphant smirk she continued, "Oh, but don't think I'm just going to let you go. You'll be accompanied by a good number of guards, who are going to bring you back here as soon as you've completed the spell."

"Of course," Elphaba replied, though she was obviously not very worried. If Morrible was concerned about this, she did not let it show.

Turning away from the cell, she addressed the Gale Forcer nearest her, "You, go find the rest of the guards who assisted in the witch's capture. You are all to accompany her to wherever she goes to undo the spell. Do not let her out of you sight, and bring her back as soon as she has released the captain from her clutches. Bring me her spellbook to me as well."

The guard nodded, saluted, and hurried off to carry out Morrible's orders. Elphaba watched all of this calmly from behind the bars of her cell. It was obvious she was already planning something. Fiyero felt as though Madame Morrible was underestimating Elphaba, especially once the green witch was in possession of her spellbook. However he said nothing, obviously rooting for Elphaba. Perhaps he'd have a chance to explain things to her while they traveled back to her cave, though this was obviously going to be difficult in the presence of about sixty Gale Forcers.

The guards Morrible had requested entered the dungeon a few minutes later, and only then was Elphaba released from her cell. Fiyero made sure to remain very close to her, not keen on feeling the effects of the spell again. Morrible was not looking all too pleased about what was happening. She was obviously not used to being manipulated this way; she was used to being the one in control.

Glinda didn't seem to be very happy about what was happening either. She looked helplessly back and forth between Elphaba and Fiyero, as if still trying to figure out what had gone on between them in the past week. Fiyero felt horrible about leaving her again without an explanation. However, there was nothing he could do about it now.

With another smug glance at Morrible, Elphaba turned and left the dungeons, Fiyero next to her and the other Gale Forcers right behind. She glanced at none of them as she walked, and kept her gaze focused straight ahead. Fiyero imagined she was still not too pleased with him at the moment.

A few seconds later the dungeons emptied as the last of the guards filed out, leaving only an aggravated Morrible and a dazed Glinda standing by Elphaba's now-empty cell.

**There, as I promised, a non cliffhanger-y ending. And you guys didn't believe I could do it! …Can't promise that I'll be able to keep it up, but I'm rather proud of myself for now.**

**Ok, so anyways:**

**MoonlitInoku: Well, that probably would have been some good analyzing if it hadn't been for Morrible getting in the way. As it is, Fiyero really hasn't had a chance to say anything yet.**

**elphabathedelirious32: Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Hmm…angry mobs are always fun. Do we get pitchforks? Oh, and that's actually pretty cool about Morrible's name. It's actually rather fitting.**

**LostOzian: Well, you were half right. Fiyero's going back to the cave, but Elphaba's going with him. And…about sixty guards as well. Which I guess wasn't exactly romantic.**

**X-Kate-X: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the way it turned out. And le gasp, you snubbed me with the RENT philosophy…how could I possibly argue with that!? But…I did technically not do the cliffhanger today…which is like yesterday's…tomorrow. Which doesn't really help my argument at all. Shutting up now.**

**Western Arawen: No problem, though I have missed hearing from you. Well, I guess Fiyero's dealing with it by just following along with whatever's going on. Well anyway, thanks for the review!**

**Kennedy Leigh Morgan: Well, if you were looking forward to Morrible making it difficult, then I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Of course, Elphaba was really the one calling the shots here. Unfortunately, Fiyero hasn't really gotten that chance to speak to Glinda though. **

**Raining Dreams: Wow, thanks for that very kind review. I'm really glad you like the story and are satisfied with my use of commas.**

**Thanks to everyone else who reviewed as well, it's always very appreciated. Please leave a review for this chapter and tell me what you thought and I'll try to get the next one up soon!**

**S.P.**


	15. Undoing the Spell

**Hey guys. Sorry the update took so long. I've been a little busy this week. I was quite excited to discover the joys of student rush tickets. My theatre geek friend, her friend and I went into Manhattan on Wednesday and got rush tickets for Les Miz. The seats weren't bad for $25 either. The top of the stage was a little cut off, but it wasn't too big a deal. I loved the show too, and I've added the soundtrack to my collection. Now we're going to see RENT next week, but getting regular tickets because we're not sure if that show has rush. It'll be my third time seeing it, but I just want to see Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal! I can't wait. Then at the end of the month I'm probably doing rush tickets to Avenue Q, which I haven't seen yet, with another group of friends. I love living this close to Broadway. XD**

**Well anyway, back to the matter of the chapter. This one's a bit short, but there was nothing else I felt I needed to put in this chapter and I'm not a fan of writing filler. Anyway, hope you like it. **

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The march on the way back to the cave was undoubtedly more solemn than the one to the Emerald City. The guards were very bitter, for they had not been rewarded for their hard work, but rather sent back out straight away before even getting a chance to rest. Half of the guards didn't even understand why they were bringing the Witch back to her hideout. The explanation was whispered to them by the other guards, the ones who had been present at the jail cell, as they walked. There was much aggravated grumbling, but save for that no one spoke.

Fiyero could sense the tension between himself and Elphaba, more so than he could feel the invisible bonds tying them together. She would not look at him, nor at the guards behind her. She kept her eyes trained ahead, as though she were not even aware of the others' presence. Fiyero was trying to decide whether he could say something to her without the other guards hearing, but it appeared the Gale Forcers were sticking close in case Elphaba decided to run for it. Fiyero kept quiet as well.

The walk back to the cave was a rather uneventful one. Elphaba was not exactly being cooperative, but she was not causing trouble either. This actually surprised Fiyero, for he would not have expected her to be so submissive. He knew she probably had some plan up her sleeve, and he desperately needed to talk to her before she put whatever that plan was into action. Perhaps he would get his chance when they reached the cave. It was that though that kept him walking at a steady pace even when he felt as though he were about to collapse from exhaustion.

The sky was dark by the time they finally reached cave some hours later. After Fiyero confirmed that it was indeed the correct location, everyone present was a bit surprised that Elphaba had led them there so easily. After a moment, one of the guards stepped forward and seized Elphaba's arm. She flinched but did not look at him.

"Ok Witch," he started, spitting the word as though it were a curse, "We're here only so you can undo whatever curse you've placed on the captain. Try anything funny and you will live to regret it. You understand me?"

But Elphaba did not answer, and this seemed to anger the guard. Before Fiyero could say anything to stop it, the man lashed out and slapped Elphaba across the face. She seemed to reel for a moment, and her eyes narrowed into a glare, but she still would not look at the man addressing her.

He spoke again, slowly and more deliberately, "I said, do you understand me?"

"Yes," Elphaba said slowly, her voice dripping with venom. Her face was turning an odd shade of purple where the man had hit her. Fiyero felt that he would have been a bit more worried if he were that guard.

Finally, once the guard seemed satisfied that he'd forced an answer out of Elphaba, he let go of her arm and pushed her ahead into the cave. Elphaba and Fiyero moved easily in the darkness, by now used to it, but the other guards had a bit more trouble adjusting. Still, they stayed near enough that Fiyero still had no chance to say anything to Elphaba.

They reached the large boulder that concealed her hideout and she chanted the brief spell that would reveal the small room. The guards, obviously worried that she'd been doing something else, relaxed a bit when they saw the large rock rolled back, revealing Elphaba's makeshift home.

She ignored them and went straight to the large spellbook still on the stone table. Everything in the room was exactly as it had been earlier that morning before they'd been captured. It was as though the whole trip to the Emerald City had never happened.

Elphaba leafed through the pages quickly, stopping a few moments later when she'd obviously found what she wanted. Fiyero glanced at the page over her shoulder, trying to see what was written there, but could understand the strange writing no better than the first time he'd seen it. After a moment's pause, Elphaba began to chant and Fiyero shut his eyes, bracing himself for the spell's effects. He suspected that Elphaba was not doing what she was supposed to.

However, he felt no change, and after a few seconds had passed Fiyero opened his eyes. For a moment it appeared as though nothing had happened, and Fiyero wondered if the spell she'd cast just hadn't worked. However, he did a double take as he looked at the other guards. They were all frozen where they stood.

He looked back at Elphaba now, who had turned to the page to a different spell and was now standing before him. He was actually quite surprised she hadn't cast the freezing spell on him as well.

Elphaba seemed to read his mind, for she said, "Don't give me that look. I would have frozen you too, but I need you conscious to remove the binding spell." Her voice was bitter and she sounded less than happy with him.

Fiyero knew this was the chance he'd been waiting for and spoke quickly, "Elphaba, I had nothing to do with the guards coming here! I had no idea this was going to happen!"

"Oh I have no doubt of that, judging by the look of shock on your face throughout the entire ordeal in the dungeons," she responded coldly, "But it seems you also had no idea it would be common courtesy for you to tell me you're _engaged_. All of this time you've been cheating on Glinda. You're my best friend's fiancé!"

Fiyero was taken aback. He'd been so sure she was angry at him for the capture that he'd completely forgotten everything that had been revealed in the dungeon. "Well, you're my fiancée's best friend and you never saw fit to tell me that!" he retorted.

"I didn't even know you had a fiancée!" she replied, growing annoyed with him, "And you're the one at fault here so do not try to turn it around! I cannot believe I allowed myself to be manipulated that easily! What, Glinda wasn't around so you decided you'd have a bit of fun? I think in the back of my mind I knew something like this would happen, but I kept ignoring that and look where it's gotten me!"

Fiyero's eyes softened a bit. It was to be expected that Elphaba would be upset with him. After all, it really was his fault for not mentioning that he was engaged. But then, if she'd known that she never would have given their relationship a chance at all, and even after seeing Glinda again Fiyero was sure that Elphaba was the one he wanted to be with. How was he supposed to explain that to her though?

"Elphaba, listen to me! It's true that I'm engaged to Glinda, but I have no feelings for her anymore! I don't want to be with Glinda, I would honestly rather be with you," he said, pleading with her. He couldn't lose her now or he'd never forgive himself.

Elphaba's expression did not change. She crossed the room to retrieve her broom from the opposite wall and then turned to him and said "Fiyero, I don't care what you've been telling yourself or even if it's true, but 'we' never should have happened in the first place. I'm going to free you from the bonding spell now and the spell over the other guards should wear off in a few minutes. When they unfreeze simply pretend that I'd cast the spell over you as well and return to the city with them. Forget this conversation ever happened." Before Fiyero could protest, she leaned over the large spellbook once more and recited a short spell. Fiyero felt the invisible bonds slide off of him as Elphaba stood and placed the large book into a sack around her waist.

This was it, she was leaving. If he didn't act now he was going to lose her. "Elphaba please, let me come with you. I don't want to return to the Emerald City, I don't want to go back to Glinda. There's nothing there for me now!"

Elphaba seemed conflicted now, and he could have sworn that tears were beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes. It seemed very hard for her to speak as she said, "Go back to Glinda Fiyero. Go back to the Emerald City. Forget this ever happened and forget me. It'll be better for both of us that way."

Before Fiyero could open his mouth to speak again there was a puff of red smoke. When it cleared Elphaba was gone, and Fiyero could do nothing but stare around the now empty cave, not wanting to believe what had just happened. That was it, he had lost her. She was gone.

**This isn't the last chapter, just in case some of you might think that. Anyway, I'll answer some review comments now:**

**not a geek freak: Well, I suppose it might be if I knew what that was. :P**

**LostOzian: Well, I guess it's not exactly what you brainstormed. Elphaba's a bit too annoyed with Yero at the moment. Hope you won't kill me for that! hides**

**elphabathedelirious32: Yay pitchforks! Now you can insult Morrible all you want. Glad you liked the last chapter, hope you like this one too. **

**Well, that's all I have to say this time. Thanks for reading and please leave me a review. Reviews are what get the next chapter up! I'll try to update as soon as possible.**

**S.P.**


	16. Explanations

**OK guys, I'm really sorry this chapter took so long. It was a difficult chapter to write and I had a bit of a block. But I saw the play again yesterday (on kind of a spur of the moment thing too, my friend and I won the lottery and got front row tickets. It was amazing.) and that helped a lot to get me back into the writing mood. I'm not sure how this chapter turned out. I'm still trying to decide whether I like it or not, if that makes any sense. Well, anyway, I'll let you guys decide. **

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Fiyero sat on the bed in an empty guest room, staring at the wall. On the outside he appeared almost comatose, but his mind was racing. Five hours. Only five hours since he'd seen her last. Five hours since his men had unfrozen to find that the Wicked Witch of the West had escaped. Five hours since his world had come crashing down around him.

How could he have let her escape? He honestly hadn't expected her to leave so suddenly. If only he'd been able to convince her to stay, or at least to let him go with her. He hadn't known how angry she'd been that he hadn't told her about Glinda. If only he'd told her about it from the start, maybe things would have gone differently. Or would that mean that she never would have given him a chance at all? Fiyero squeezed his eyes shut.

He still hadn't spoken to Glinda about everything that had happened. He'd only arrived home a short while ago and had slipped into this room unnoticed so he could get his thoughts straight. However, Glinda would surely seek him out if he didn't go to her soon; he knew she wanted explanations. The conversation was bound to be painful, but the two of them had to have it eventually.

It was with this thought in mind that Fiyero slipped off the bed and left the room. He knew what he had to do, but it certainly didn't make this any easier. He'd never wanted to hurt Glinda; he still cared about her very much. For a long time he'd even believed that he loved her. But he couldn't stay with her any longer. He would be lying to both Glinda and himself if he did. He didn't feel that way about her anymore, and he wasn't even sure that he ever had. All he knew was that he was in love with Elphaba.

He finally found Glinda in the sitting room, trying to appear focused on a book that she was obviously not reading. She looked up as he entered, and then bolted into his arms. Fiyero was a bit taken aback by this, but it was understandable. She was probably very shaken up by the events of the past few hours.

"Oh Fiyero dearest, I was so worried! Where in Oz's name have you been? How was Elphaba involved in all of this? No one will tell me anything, and it's all so confusifying," she said, looking up at him as she spoke. Fiyero wasn't sure how to begin.

Guiding Glinda into a seat, he tried to think of the gentlest way to say everything that needed to be said. He decided to start small.

"I'm fine Glinda," he said, watching her carefully.

"Where have you been? You've had me so worried," she repeated. The concern in her eyes made Fiyero feel even worse about what he was about to do.

He tried to figure out the best answer to her question. "I…I've been with your friend Elphaba."

Glinda looked at him strangely, "How do you know Elphaba? I hadn't even seen her in over two years before this afternoon and I'm sure I've never introduced you to her."

"No, and you also never mention that she was the Wicked Witch of the West that I've been after for so long," Fiyero replied.

Glinda looked down at her hands, "It's not something I generally like to talk about. I mean, how would you have reacted if I'd told you that my best friend was the Wicked witch of the West? But you really shouldn't believe everything you hear about her. Most of it was made up by Morrible and the Wizard." She met his eyes with her own, pleading with him to believe her.

He sighed, "I know…I uh-got to know her a bit better." He knew all too well where this was headed.

"How did you meet her anyway? Weren't you out to capture her?" Glinda asked.

Fiyero wondered for a moment how Glinda could have watched him go searching for the Wicked Witch of the West so often without saying anything. How could she have let all of this go on without a word in her best friend's defense? However, he shook the thoughts away for the moment in an attempt to come up with an appropriate response to Glinda's question.

"Well…I know how this is going to sound, but just hear me out before you say anything…she sort of captured me when I got too near her hiding place." Fiyero began. Glinda's eyes widened but surprisingly she stayed silent. He continued, "It wasn't really her fault though. She had no other choice. If she hadn't captured me she would have risked being captured herself."

Glinda looked shocked. There was a moment of silence before she said, "That really doesn't sound like the Elphaba I know. I suppose…she's changed since I last saw her."

"Well, I suppose being Oz's most infamous enemy would change anyone in at least some ways Glinda. But she really wasn't terrible. She only seemed to be acting the part of the Wicked Witch, and…well, she sort of started acting more like herself after a while,"

Fiyero must have had some sort of strange look on his face as he said this, for Glinda studied him carefully for a moment before saying, "Dearest, is there something you're not telling me?"

Fiyero closed his eyes and took a breath. This was it. "Well, when Morrible ordered the guards to take Elphaba back to her hideout, she managed to undo the spell on me and escape."

Glinda nodded, "I've already heard. Morrible and the Wizard are both furious. I can't say I'm completely surprised though. It would be just like Elphaba to have some sort of plan in mind,"

Fiyero paused for a moment, and then blurted out, "Glinda, I've got to find her."

Glinda turned to him with a look of confusion on her face. "Find her? Fiyero, surely you can't still want to capture her. I thought you said you'd gotten to know her," she said.

Fiyero looked down at his hands, unable to respond. This seemed to worry Glinda, and she asked, "Fiyero dearest, what's wrong?"

Fiyero could not look her in the eyes, "Glinda…I never wanted to hurt you."

Glinda was growing nervous now, "Fiyero, what're you…"

"Glinda, I care about you very much, you know that. But…I can't marry you. I don't feel that way about you," he said.

Fiyero still did not look up, but he could clearly imagine the look of shock and horror on Glinda's face. He closed his eyes and waited for her inevitable response.

Glinda seemed to lose the ability to speak for a few moments. Finally, she stammered, "S-surely you don't mean..."

"Glinda, I have to find Elphaba…. I love her," biting the inside of his lip, he finally brought his gaze up to look at Glinda.

Glinda seemed caught between shock, anger and horror. Her expression made Fiyero feel even worse about what he was doing. After a moment, she said, "Dearest, you're just tired, you're not thinking clearly. I'm sure you've had a trying day. Please, just go upstairs and rest, you'll feel better in the morning." She put a hand on his shoulder, but Fiyero pulled away.

"Glinda, I've never been thinking more clearly in my life. I'm sorry, but I can't change the way I feel," he replied.

Tears were beginning to gather in Glinda's eyes now, but there was more anger than hurt in her voice as she said, "I can't believe you. We've been together for years and not once have I been unfaithful to you. Then you go away for five days and tell me that you're in love with another woman? That you're in love with me _best friend_. How long has this been going on behind my back? Have you been sneaking off to visit her every time you go on one of your little missions?"

"Glinda please, it wasn't like that! I only met her a few days ago, and Elphaba isn't to blame at all. She didn't even know I was engaged," Fiyero responded.

Glinda stopped for a moment before saying, "You didn't tell her that you're engaged?"

Fiyero realized too late that it was a mistake to have said that, "Glinda-"

"Is that all I was to you? Just someone to have around until something better came along. Were you going to just run off with the first woman you came across, whether or not she happened to be the Wicked Witch of the West?" she said. She wasn't screaming, but she might as well have been.

"Glinda listen to me, I didn't-"

She cut him off; her eyes not wet with tears, and said, "Fiyero, did you ever really love me?"

Fiyero just looked at his hands. He honestly wasn't sure. He'd thought he had at one point, but he knew he'd never felt the same way around Glinda that he did around Elphaba. Unsure of how to answer, he said nothing. Glinda watched him for a moment, and seemed to draw a conclusion from his silence. She lingered for a moment longer, and then turned on her heel and fled the room.

For a moment Fiyero considered going after her, saying something to her to help comfort her. But there was nothing to say. The damage was done, and there was no reversing it. Though Fiyero felt bad about hurting Glinda, he did not feel remorse for breaking up with her. It had to be done.

Sparing one last glance to the doorway Glinda had just exited through; Fiyero turned and went off in the opposite direction. He had no idea where he was going to start searching, but he had to leave as soon as possible. He was going to find Elphaba, he had to.

**Alright, so what do you think? Were Glinda's reactions realistic enough, did it seem rushed? I'd appreciate any feedback and/or constructive criticism. So please leave a review and tell me what you though. I'm not sure when I'll get the next one up. I've kind of been making this up as I go since about chapter seven, so I've got to wait for inspiration to strike again. I have a vague idea of where this is going though, so hopefully it won't take too long. I'll update as soon as possible.**

**S.P.**


	17. Pursuit

**Wow, I am SO sorry for taking so long to update. I've only been in school for less than three weeks and I feel like it should be summer again by now. Junior year is evil, and I've been kind of stressed out. I've got tons of stuff to do, plus all of my work, and I just found I might not be able to do swim team this year because it'll conflict with play practice because they changed the stupid meet schedule and play practice is already conflicting with SAT classes, and I had to change my piano and voce lessons around to make them fit and…and…this is an incredibly long run on sentence. **

**Well anyway, this chapter is actually a bit longer. I'm not sure how great it is, as I pretty much wrote most of it during a rather loud study period in a cramped, windowless room that smells like musty books and the rest sentence by sentence over the course of a week. Please let me know what you think.**

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Fiyero did not go to his room that night, but rather slept on a couch in the library. As soon as day broke he slipped from the room and left the castle straight away. He knew he should have mentioned his leaving to Glinda; that he shouldn't have just dropped such a bomb on her and left, but he had a feeling that any more conversation between the two of them right now could only end in disaster. Instead, he strode purposefully down the hall and out the front doors of the palace. No one thought anything of this, for it wasn't at all unusual for the captain of the guard to have duties to attend to at any given time.

Though Fiyero knew that no one thought anything of his leaving, he still felt unusually jittery, as though everyone in the palace somehow knew where he was going. He jumped at the slightest sound and was more than relieved when he'd finally put a decent amount of distance between himself and the palace gates.

Once he was sure he was out of sight, Fiyero stopped and sighed. Looking around, he realized that he really had no idea where he was going. Elphaba had disappeared hours ago, and that was more than a sufficient amount of time for a head start, especially on broomstick. She could be anywhere in Oz by now, and Fiyero was just one person on foot. Still, he was determined to find her, and so after a moment he continued walking.

Though he knew it was most likely pointless, he decided that the best place to check would be Elphaba's old hideout. He knew that there was almost no chance that she would return there, not after what had happened, but he needed to start somewhere. Perhaps he would be able to find some miniscule clue as to her whereabouts. No matter what, he had to try.

Fiyero found that there was a sort of urgency to his steps, though he was unsure why. After all, Elphaba could most certainly take care of herself, and she was in no danger at the moment, at least as far as he knew. Thinking on it for a moment, he realized that he was merely desperate to see her again. Their last meeting had hardly been a fitting goodbye. He'd never even had the chance to explain himself. If he never saw her again…. The thought only made him move faster.

It was hours later when Fiyero, slightly bruised from crashing through the underbrush a bit too quickly, emerged at the now familiar clearing that had contained Elphaba's hideout. Taking a deep breath, he tried to steel himself for the disappointment he was sure to feel, but he still could not keep his hopes from rising. Jogging forward, he entered the cave and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

He glanced around only for a moment before heading further inside. His legs guided him from memory, and within moments he was standing in front of the entrance to the cavern. Staring into the now dark crevice, he felt his heart sink into his stomach.

There was no doubt that Elphaba had not returned to the cavern. It was completely dark and devoid of life. The small sphere of light that had once occupied the corner of the room had obviously gone out some time ago, and it meant that this room was no lighter than the rest of the cave. Fiyero had trouble seeing as he made his way inside, and as a result he stumbled over the stone table that had once held Elphaba's spell book. Catching his balance, he squinted into the darkness in an attempt to improve his vision.

After sweeping the main section of the cave with his eyes, Fiyero carefully made his way over to the section where Elphaba had kept him trapped. As he moved into the center of the small space, he realized just how cramped it was. Still, he knew he would begin sleeping here again in a heartbeat if it would just bring Elphaba back.

It was now that the reality of this situation had begun to set in. Though he hated to admit it, he had been clinging to a hope that Elphaba would have returned to this cavern. What was he supposed to do now? He was just one man on foot, and she was a witch on a broomstick. That was hardly fair. Overcome by the hopelessness of it all, Fiyero slammed his fist into the wall in frustration and then proceeded to rake is finger through his hair. Feeling restless, he turned and went back into the main room of the cavern.

Fiyero made his way back to the cave's entrance, now keeping his hand against the wall as he went to keep himself from bumping into anything else. He paused as he felt his hand run over something that felt irregular.

Backing up, Fiyero ran his hand over the spot again. Something wasn't right; this section of the wall wasn't as smooth as the rest. Peering closer, he could see that a small portion of the wall appeared to have been cut away and then fit back in. It was almost unnoticeable if you weren't looking for it, and Fiyero could barely make out the difference in the darkness.

He pressed his hand against the right side of the stone panel, and was pleased to see the opposite side stick out a little. Taking the protruding side, he managed to pull the stone all the way out. As he did so, a couple of papers fluttered to the floor. Curious, Fiyero set the stone panel down and picked them up.

Fiyero's eyes widened in recognition as he went through the papers. They were the same ones he'd discovered hidden under the rock on his first day as Elphaba's prisoner. He turned a familiar emerald envelope over in his hands, reminiscing. That day seemed like years ago now.

Putting the papers down, he removed the rest of Elphaba's belongings from the space in the wall. He recognized the two books he'd seen the first time, and sat down on the floor to examine them. He opened the smaller first, but it was impossible to make out what was written on the pages in the darkness. After a few moments he stood again, gathered the papers, and exited the cave.

Once outside, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight before turning his attention back to the books. Taking a seat on the grass, he once again opened the smaller of the two. Now he could see that the book was a diary, with entries written in a tidy cursive that he assumed was Elphaba's. Fascinated, he flipped through the book quickly, skimming the different entries. It appeared that Elphaba had started the diary before Shiz and continued writing in it until she'd reached the last page some time when she was still in college. After a moment, Fiyero set the book aside, resolving to take a better look at it later, and picked up the larger one.

This book revealed itself to be a binder, filled with what looked like papers and reports from Elphaba's Shiz days. He was a bit impressed by the perfect marks that adorned the top of each page. He wished he could have known Elphaba in college, before she'd become the Wicked Witch of the West. Had she been different then? He imagined she would have been just as passionate and determined then as she was now, just possibly with less hostility.

He stopped flipping through the pages for a moment as he noticed that one of the papers in the binder had a large red 'F' printed across the top. This was in such contrast to the rest of her grades that Fiyero stopped and actually read the paper over.

It was an essay on Animals, and Fiyero could find no fault with it. It was extremely well written, and Elphaba had argued all of her points brilliantly. Puzzled, Fiyero flipped the page over, and finally found the reason for the failing grade. There, scrawled in red pen, was a note from whichever professor had graded the paper. It read "Does not complete the given assignment. You were to analyze the differences between humans and Animals and describe the positive effects of the Animal bans."

Fiyero smiled softly, running his fingers over the page. That was why Elphaba had saved one failing grade among her A's. She'd sacrificed her perfect average for the sake of her beliefs. He'd only known Elphaba for a short while, and yet this seemed exactly like her.

Closing the binder, Fiyero gathered the papers and stood up with a new found determination. It was as though seeing even this little bit of Elphaba had restored his hope. He was going to find her; however long it took, he would find her eventually.

Brushing the dirt off of his pants, Fiyero tried to decide on his next course of action. It seemed like the best place to begin would be the Animal camp Elphaba had been so devoted to. After all, there was a possibility she might have gone back, wasn't there? Taking a deep breath, he tried not to get his hopes up too high, lest they be crushed again.

Despite this, he found his footsteps more urgent than ever.

He reached the town in a matter of minutes, taking in sights that were now familiar though he had only walked this was a handful of times before with Elphaba. He hoped that the Animals wouldn't give him any trouble because she was not at his side this time.

Feeling very apprehensive, Fiyero entered the small camp and kept his eyes down as he went. The Animals eyed him apprehensively as he walked, just as Fiyero had feared they would. He supposed by now they knew what had happened with Elphaba. He hoped they didn't believe he'd had anything to do with it.

Still, despite the unwanted attention, he pressed on. After a few moments he tried to decide how best to go about searching for her. After all, he couldn't very well barge into the Animals' tents, and he wasn't too keen on asking any of them if they'd seen her. He was beginning to feel as if coming here had been a mistake, but it wasn't as if he had any other bright ideas at the moment.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone familiar. It was the Sheep, Calla he believed her name was, that Elphaba had reported to the first time she'd brought him into the village. His heartbeat quickening, he nervously shuffled over to where she was standing. She seemed very surprised to see him there, but Fiyero spoke before she could say anything.

"I'm looking for Elphaba, I was wondering if she passed through here recently," he said, trying to sound confident but failing miserably.

The Sheep's eyes narrowed into a glare as she replied, "I haven't seen Elphaba since the two of you left two days ago. It's very unlike Elphaba not to turn up, and you were with her the last time we saw her. Forgive me if I'm a bit suspicious."

Fiyero wasn't sure how to respond. Perhaps the Animals didn't know as much about what had happened as he'd initially thought. Not wanting to explain everything that had happened over the past days to the Sheep, or tell her that Elphaba didn't want him to find her, he said simply, "Elphaba's not in any danger, I just need to know if she's been spotted. I need to…bring her a message."

The Sheep obviously didn't buy this, and she said suspiciously, "I thought Elphaba said she couldn't let you go."

Wracking his brain for a suitable answer, all he could come up with was, "I uh…I got let off for good behavior."

There was a short pause, before the sheep said curtly, "I've already told you that we haven't seen her. You'd do best to be on you way now."

But Fiyero wasn't paying attention, over the Sheep's shoulder, he'd just seen the end of a piece of black fabric disappear into the schoolhouse. Feeling his pulse quicken, he turned to the Sheep and said, "Right, uh thanks, I guess I'll just go then."

He walked past her, and kept going until he was sure she wasn't watching him any more. Checking his shoulder for reassurance, he then doubled back and shot into the schoolhouse before he was spotted.

Glancing quickly around, he tried to distinguish some green among all of the Animals in the small room. However, after sweeping the whole room with his eyes, he could see that Elphaba wasn't here. He was confused for a few moments, before he saw the Giraffe, Sentra, stocking blankets onto a shelf a short distance away. His heart sank as he realized one of these was a familiar shade of black.

Crestfallen, Fiyero was about to turn and leave, when a small voice called out from behind him.

"Mister Fiyero!"

A bit startled, Fiyero turned and was met with the sight of a familiar Bear cub. She looked cheerily up at him, a small plastic fairy clutched in her right paw. Fiyero smiled despite himself, glad to see a friendly face. He said, "Well hello there Lorgen."

She looked at him curiously, "What are you doing here without Miss Elphaba?"

Fiyero's smile dropped, "Actually, I'm looking for Miss Elphaba. I haven't seen her in a couple of days, and I thought she might have come here, but obviously I was mistaken."

Lorgen cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean? Miss Elphaba came by just yesterday."

Fiyero's head shot up at this, and he looked at the small Cub with wide eyes. Was it true? Could it be possible that Calla had been lying to him? It wouldn't be surprising now that he thought about it; the old Sheep had never exactly trusted him. His voice suddenly urgent, he asked, "Lorgen, do you know where she went?"

The Bear seemed a bit taken a back by Fiyero's sudden change in tone, but nonetheless she responded, "She was talking with Miss Calla. I don't think I was supposed to hear, but I was standing right near them. I think she was going to another camp nearby. Why can't she come here anymore Mister Fiyero? Did something happen?"

Fiyero wasn't sure how to answer her. The small Bear looked so worried that he simply said, "No, everything's fine. Elphaba will be back, I promise. Lorgen, can you tell me how to reach this other camp?"

Lorgen still seemed confused, but answered Fiyero's question nonetheless, "It's not really that far, my mom took me there once to visit my cousin. I think you have to go out of this camp past the hospital and then go straight in that direction the whole time."

Fiyero nodded, feeling his hopes rising once more. "Thank you Lorgen, I promise I'll bring Elphaba back."

Without another word he turned and left the schoolhouse, striding purposefully in a direction he hoped would bring him closer to Elphaba.

**So what do you think? I know it wasn't incredibly eventful, but I hope it wasn't incredibly dull. And also, always my biggest fear, was it believable enough? Please leave me a review if you read, as I'd really appreciate the feedback.**

**S.P.**


	18. Exhaustion

**Hey so this chapter is being reposted with a bit of an edit to the ending, because I have deleted the original chapter 19 of this story that I posted four years ago and replaced it with a completely new one. Everything else that happens here is completely the same, I just chopped about 4 paragraphs off the end. **

Focus. Thirsty. Forward. Hot. Tired. Walk.

Fiyero's thoughts were almost non-existent at this point. They came in short, choppy bursts, reminding him only of the basic needs he was sorely lacking. It was mid-afternoon, and the sun had reached a high point in the sky. The thick canopy of the forest did little to shade Fiyero's already sunburned form. Blood pounded in his ear, matching the half-hearted sound of his stumbling footsteps. Fiyero knew he was sweating, knew that he was dirty from when he'd tripped and fallen into the dirt, yet he'd become detached from these facts some time ago. All he was conscious of was a burning need to keep moving and the knowledge that if he stopped he might not be able to get back up.

Fiyero had lost track of time some while ago, but he knew it had been almost a day since he'd left the Animal camp and started walking. He was exhausted, having had only a brief four-hour rest during the night. He'd also had almost no food since he'd set out, save for a few fruits and berries he'd recognized as edible from his Gale Force training. The last water he'd tasted had come about two hours ago in the form of a small stream, but his throat had long since become parched again in the fierce heat. For all of his training and his position as captain of the Gale Force, Fiyero was pretty bad at planning ahead.

When he'd fled the palace yesterday, running on nothing but adrenaline, hope, and a measurable amount of stupidity, Fiyero had overlooked several important facts. Firstly, he had brought no supplies with him whatsoever. No food, no water, no compass, no maps, nothing at all that could be of any use to him in his purpose of finding Elphaba. He hadn't accounted for the fact that he could be on the move for days, he hadn't accounted for anything. He was dangerously close to becoming disheartened. Secondly, it was a very hot time of year. The sunlight was brutal, and though Fiyero had finally found shelter from the direct rays of the sun a short while ago, he still felt the crippling heat as though he were out in the open. Every cell in his body was screaming for water, yet Fiyero had none at hand.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, Fiyero had only just realized that he would undoubtedly be tracked by the other guards. He had no idea what was going on back at the palace. The way he saw it, the belief was probably that Elphaba had recaptured him after her escape, wanting to take her revenge on the guards who had attempted to detain her. The belief that Fiyero was actually a traitor who was secretly in love with the Witch was probably a less popular theory around the water cooler. Regardless, guards would probably be sent to look for him, guards with greater numbers and more adequate supplies. At the rate Fiyero was moving, it would probably not take long for these guards to catch up with him, provided that they marched in the right direction. Fiyero could only pray that the Gale Forcers had no leads on his whereabouts, because he would never forgive himself if he led them straight to Elphaba.

He had a sneaking suspicion that Elphaba would be a tiny bit pissed at him too.

So it was in this fashion that Fiyero pressed on, willing himself forward with every ounce of his strength. After some length of time, during which he seemed to drift in and out of a conscious awareness of his surroundings, Fiyero finally found another chance for water. He suspected it was the same stream he had drunk from before; it probably snaked around from where he'd been before in a wide arc and cut straight through the forest. Not actually caring where the water came from, Fiyero dropped to his knees immediately and stuck his whole head into the stream, reveling in the instant relief from the blistering heat. He took several gulps of the water and washed his face. Refreshed and in slightly higher spirits, but with a now heightened awareness of a gnawing hunger, Fiyero set off on his path once more.

Some time later, when the sun had dipped lower into the sky and the light had become somewhat softer, Fiyero paused once more. Running his fingers through his now grimy blond hair, he took a long look around, surveying his surroundings. There was no perceivable end to the forest in any direction, just trees and shrubs as far as he could see. Upon further scrutiny, Fiyero found a small bush nearby that held some ripe-looking purple berries that he thought he recognized as being safe for consumption. After a meager and not very satisfying meal, Fiyero sighed to himself and sat down to rest for a moment.

Fiyero realized that he was at a crossroads now. He had to make an important decision. It was becoming painfully obvious that Fiyero did not have the supplies or the stamina to continue on in this fashion for much longer. He needed proper food and water and a long rest, and he was not equipped to provide these things for himself. Fiyero might have been captain of the guard, but he was accustomed to a very comfortable lifestyle. The most grueling tasks he had ever undertaken had been his searched for the Witch, for Elphaba, and those had never lasted longer than a couple of nights in a proper camp. Fiyero was not built to survive in harsh conditions, and he had never braved this sort of discomfort alone. As large as his ego was, Fiyero was not too dimwitted to realize these obvious truths about himself.

It was with these thoughts in mind that Fiyero sat on the hard ground, massaging his aching calf muscles. He knew there were two options to choose from. The first would be to turn around now and go back the way he had come. The journey would take him the better part of a day, perhaps a bit more now that he was so worn out and disheartened. Even so, he would at the very least be able to make it back to the Animal camp before he collapsed. He knew that the Animals there were not overly fond of him, but he doubted that they would begrudge him the basic necessities of food and water when they saw the shape he was in. He could rest there and get his strength up.

However, if Fiyero chose this course of action, he risked losing Elphaba's trail for good. After all, at least he had a lead right now, a bit of information he'd learned from a small Bear Cub. Lorgen had mentioned that Elphaba was headed to another Animal camp, one that wasn't far from the one Fiyero had left. But even if that was true, Fiyero had no way of knowing whether Elphaba was planning to stay at that camp, or whether she would just be passing through. If he went back for food and rest, he might permanently loose Elphaba's trail, and therefore permanently loose Elphaba.

On the same note, however, how was Fiyero sure he'd ever been on Elphaba's trail in the first place? After all, he was only taking the word of a child. A child who, for the record, had not even been a part of the conversation from which she had picked up the information she had relayed to Fiyero. Lorgen could have easily misunderstood the information or accidentally pointed Fiyero in the wrong direction. For that matter, it was also less likely but still possible that the Bear Cub had been lying to him and sent him on a wild goose chase. After all, it could be that Lorgen was just as mistrustful of Fiyero as some of the other Animals in the camp, regardless of her seemingly friendly demeanor.

Despite his doubts, Fiyero knew his other option was to press on in the same direction and continue his search for Elphaba. However, drawbacks to this course of action included the fact that if he didn't reach the other Animal camp soon, he might collapse from lack of food and water. If Fiyero kept going and suddenly found himself too far out to turn back to safety, he might become lost in the middle of nowhere and inches from hopelessness. Besides that, Fiyero didn't even know if he was going the right way, or how far he still had to travel to get to the camp. He also didn't know if Elphaba would even be at the camp when he got there. If he entertained that possibility, then there was a chance that he would be denied entrance to the camp when he arrived. Just because he had seen one group of Animals didn't mean he knew them all. Perhaps he would finally reach the camp only to be turned away and left to rot in the wilderness.

It was with all of these possibilities swirling around in his mind that Fiyero began to feel the cold fingers of doubt and despair creeping up on him. How had he landed himself here? A short while ago his largest concern was whether or not Glinda was hogging the bed covers, or whether a particularly dark stain would come out of his favorite shirt. Those simple times seemed like ages ago now. Back then he never would have seen himself as he was now, tired and dirty and lost, thinking out dozens of different courses of action and their possible outcomes. And yet here he was, and there was only one woman to blame.

At the thought of Elphaba, Fiyero almost let out a moan of despair, and he would have had he possessed the energy. Before meeting her Fiyero never would have believed that one person could change him so completely in such a short amount of time. Yet it had happened, and Fiyero had believed that he would give anything, anything at all, just to catch another glimpse of her strangely stunning emerald skin. He had believed that. Now he wasn't sure if it was worth risking his life to chase a lead that could easily turn out to be false. And yet Fiyero knew he had to make his decision soon. Whichever direction he chose, he was only wasting time the longer he sat there unmoving.

But Fiyero could not decide easily, and he was so tired that reality was beginning to blur with the fuzzy images of an oncoming dream. The forest floor was suddenly no longer hard and uncomfortable, but rather feathery soft and inviting. Without even noticing, Fiyero had transitioned from his sitting position to lying slumped on the floor with his head on his hands. Halfway through imagining the feel of Elphaba's lips on his own, Fiyero let sleep take him.


	19. Respite

**Well hey, so this is kind of strange, because I never saw myself ever picking this thing up again. I'm actually kind of shocked that it's been four years since I last updated this story. I actually can't wrap my head around the fact that that much time has past. Last time I updated this thing I hadn't graduated high school, and now I'm graduating from college in May. **

**So anyway, what brought this on, you might ask. Well, last Saturday I actually saw Wicked for the first time in about 6 years. Actually I believe the last time I saw it was at some point when I was still working on this story. My boyfriend and I bought each other tickets for Valentine's Day because he hadn't seen it and it was pure nostalgia for me. Afterwards I stumbled back over here and reread some of my old stories, which just added to the effect. Then we left for a trip to Boston the next day and I had 4 hours of free time on the bus both ways and this just sort of happened. **

**So anyway, what are you going to be getting here, person who might actually still be reading this four years later? The answer to that is: at least five more chapters, because that's what I've managed to bang out over the course of the past week. I will promise no more and no less than that, because I'm currently on spring break and once school starts again on Monday I doubt this will be a priority. In fact you'll probably be getting them in fairly rapid succession, before I forget to post them. **

**OK I'm wrapping up I swear, but this bit is important. I've actually rewritten the entirety of this chapter. I straight up deleted the one I'd had here before. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the primary one is that I just really didn't like it. The chapter 19 I had before this was just way too convenient and relied far too heavily on coincidence and chance. Also, I honestly have no clue where I was going with it. So with this rewrite I'm taking it in another direction entirely. Will I ever actually finish this story? Your guess is as good as mine. I like to think one day when I am 85 or so I will finally be writing the epilogue or something, but for now here's the first of five new chapters. **

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooo**

Fiyero awoke with a start and immediately sensed that something was wrong. The last thing he remembered was passing out on the forest floor, but a quick survey of his surroundings told him that he was now lying on a sort of makeshift bed inside a small cave.

Shooting up into a sitting position, Fiyero began to look around frantically for some clue as to where he was or how he had gotten there. His first, incredibly hopeful, thought was that Elphaba had found him and somehow relocated him to her new hideout. However, he discarded those thoughts only moments later.

The cave in which he currently found himself was very much not Elphaba's style. The mouth was completely open, not concealed as the last one had been. Looking out through the opening, Fiyero could clearly see the trees of the forest, suggesting that it would not be hard to find this place should someone come looking for it.

Another glance around further confirmed Fiyero's suspicions. The cave was fairly dark, lit only by the moonlight coming in through the opening. It was not lit by magic, as he would have expected from one of Elphaba's hideouts. The large spell book and the other stacks of worn and tattered books he'd become accustomed to seeing at the other cave were also notably absent.

And then, Fiyero reminded himself, there was the most convincing evidence of all, and that was that Elphaba was so pissed off at him that she most likely would have left him to rot in the forest.

So it wasn't Elphaba's hideout he currently found himself in. This still begged the question of where he was, and how he had been moved there without being awakened.

Fiyero sat up farther and stretched, wincing as he felt the soreness in his muscles. His body was not used to the amount of strain he had placed on it the day before. His legs cried out in pain as he swung them over the side of the bed and got to his feet, but he pointedly ignored them.

Fiyero made another quick scan of the room and confirmed that he was the only one present. He also noted that the cave was hardly furnished. Save for the hard slab of grass-covered rock that served as a bed and another in the center of the room that most likely served as a makeshift table, it was devoid of furniture or decoration of any kind.

Fiyero suddenly became painfully aware of his still-present hunger when a growling sound from his own stomach startled him. It seemed he had two choices now. He could either wait for whoever lived in this cave to return, and hope that said person would know where he could find some food. It was either that or strike off on his own again, but given that he was significantly weakened and had no idea where he was or what direction to head in, Fiyero did not deem this the better option. 

Resigned, he sat back down on the edge of the bed and let his head fall into his hands, questioning once again just how he'd managed to get himself into this situation. After a time Fiyero began to doze off again, but he was startled awake by the sound of footsteps from outside.

Whatever Fiyero had been expecting, it was certainly not the sight of a large Lion filling the mouth of the cave. For a moment Fiyero felt as though his body had gone into shock. His eyes darted around the room wildly, looking for a weapon or an alternate escape route. His fear soon passed however, when he noticed that the Lion's arms were laden with apples and pears. Fiyero's senses returned to him, and he realized that this Lion was an Animal and was therefore as civilized as any human being.

"Oh, y-you're awake," said the Lion, laying his bounty down on the stone table. His voice shook slightly, and Fiyero could swear that he saw the Animal's legs quivering.

Still reeling slightly from his earlier surprise, Fiyero responded, "Uh, yeah…. Where is this place? Is there a particular reason you've brought me here?"

The Lion still seemed slightly wary. He seemed to be keeping as much distance as he could between himself and Fiyero. Fiyero wasn't quite sure what to make of it. After a moment, the Lion answered, "I found you p-passed out in the woods back there. You looked as though you'd f-fainted or something, so I carried you back here. These woods aren't very safe at night, trust me, and you didn't seem very dangerous so…." He trailed off, as though he were now nervous about what Fiyero's reaction would be.

Fiyero was a bit taken aback by this information. He apparently hadn't realized what rough shape he'd been in. In truth, it was possible he owed the Lion for bringing him somewhere safer than the spot he'd chosen for his resting place. Smiling slightly, he said, "Oh, thanks then. I guess I really hadn't been thinking clearly last night. I owe you one."

Upon hearing Fiyero's words of gratitude, the Lion seemed to perk up slightly, and he visibly relaxed a little. "Oh shucks, it was nothing. I just happened to be passing by on my way home when I ran into you. I have to admit, you gave me a bit of a fright before I realized you were unconscious. I don't do so well in the dark…." trailing off again, he took an apple out of the pile on the table and offered it to Fiyero, who accepted it eagerly.

Fiyero didn't speak again until he'd made short work of the apple, and when he was finished he glanced expectantly toward the rest of the fruit still sitting on the table. The Lion followed his eyes and said, "Oh, help yourself. Please."

Fiyero didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the nearest pear and settled back onto the bed. As he took a bite of it he said, "It's funny, I didn't realize Lions liked fruit."

The Lion smiled sheepishly, "Oh, well I'm not sure about other Lions, but I'm not much of a hunter myself."

Fiyero cocked his head slightly, "You don't know any other Lions? What about your family?"

The Lion looked down at his feet, "Oh, I never really knew my family. I've been on my own pretty much ever since I was a Cub."

"Really?" Fiyero said, finishing off his pear and reaching for another apple, "Why's that?"

The Lion seemed to grow nervous again, and his eyes darted from side to side as though he feared someone might be listening. Moving in closer to Fiyero, he whispered, "Have you ever heard of the Wicked Witch of the West?"

Fiyero's eyes shot up. He was suddenly very interested in what the Lion had to say. Wiping his mouth, he responded tentatively, "Yes, I suppose everyone has at this point."

The Lion nodded and continued, "Well, I don't remember this very well…but when I was younger I was kidnapped and imprisoned. These people…they killed my mother and they put me into this strange metal contraption that had bars all the way around. Like I said, I don't remember too many details, but I do very clearly remember a green woman. I somehow managed to escape from that place, and eventually I found my way here. I've been living here ever since. I've been too afraid to leave the forest."

"And this green woman you remember is the Wtich." Fiyero supplied, watching the Lion's face carefully.

"Well, I can only assume so," the Lion answered, "I don't get out much, but sometimes other people pass by and I can hear their conversations. I've heard talk of a powerful witch with strange green skin who goes around terrorizing innocent people." The Lion seemed to be frightening himself with his own words. After a moment he paused and changed the subject, saying, "B-But I've been rambling on about myself for too long, What about you? Why were you out in the forest alone so late at night?"

Fiyero, choosing his words carefully, said "I'm looking for a friend, someone I think might be in danger. In my haste I must have pushed myself too hard, and that's why I'd pretty much passed out by the time you found me."

"Danger?" the Lion repeated, his voice a mix of fear and awe, "You must be pretty courageous then."

"Oh, uh, yeah I guess so," Fiyero said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "But that means I really need to get going again. I do have to thank you for your hospitality. I don't know if I could have kept going if you hadn't run into me."

The Lion looked forlorn, "Oh, you're going already?"

Fiyero looked at him curiously, "You know, there are one or two well-established Animal camps in this area. Have you ever thought about going to one instead of living on your own like this?"

The Lion's eyes widened, "Oh, but I'd be too frightened to do that. I've heard that the types of Animals that live in those places are feral and dangerous."

Fiyero was taken aback at this. He had already suspected that the Lion was mostly cut off from his own kind by the way he had referred to Elphaba earlier, but he hadn't imagined that it ran this deep.

"Well I don't know about that. I've actually been to a couple of those camps myself, and I can tell you that everyone there was perfectly pleasant." Fiyero was lying a little bit, he knew. He wasn't exactly an expert on these matters, but from the one camp he had seen and Elphaba's testimonials he didn't feel as though he was stretching the truth too outrageously.

The Lion's ears perked up at this, "Really? You mean…well…are they others like me then?"

"Mostly," Fiyero replied, nodding. He added, "You know, one of those Animal camps is actually where I was headed next when you found me."

The Lion seemed intrigued, "Really? You don't well…I mean I wouldn't want to…"

Fiyero smirked, "If you'd like, you could come with me and see for yourself." Fiyero suddenly felt as though it was his duty to help this poor Lion. After all, it seemed the sort of thing Elphaba would do. In addition, it didn't hurt that the Lion's knowledge of the forest could come in handy in speeding his journey.

The Lion, however, still seemed unsure. Wringing his hands together, he asked, "Oh, and you're sure it's safe then?"

"Absolutely," Fiyero said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. This was not actually something he could guarantee, but he was trying to be as convincing as possible.

This seemed to be enough for the Lion. Though he was still shaking slightly, he nodded his head with as much conviction as he could muster. "Alright then, I suppose I could go with you. I admit I have always been curious to see one of these camps for myself," he said. 

Fiyero smiled and responded, "Well I guess we should be on our way then."

**And that's that for now, but like I said, I promise your there are at least four more to come after this. I have to say, I'm really surprised that this story has still been getting reviews from people asking me to update. You guys are really persistent, and maybe a bit too optimistic but hey, here we are right? **

**Anyway I hope you liked it. It's kind of odd to just pick up and start writing something you started 6 years ago. I don't even have the original story file on my computer anymore. But I have to admit this was kind of fun. What's up with this website too? Everything is so fancy now. All these buttons and features and stuff. In my day…**

Okay for real though, see you at the next chapter.

S.P.


	20. Arrival

**Alright so, as promised, here's the next chapter. I really appreciate the response to the new chapter 19, it's really nice to know people are still reading this story after all this time. I hope you enjoy where it's going. I'm personally pretty satisfied with the way it's turning out. Also, I've tentatively started working on a sixth new chapter, so we'll see how far this goes. **

**Also, a note to anyone book saavy: I know there's a lot more info about the Lion in the book and that his name is Brrr and all that, but I read the book so long ago that I don't really trust myself to incorporate it into my stories. This is completely Musicalverse, so I'm just going completely on the info we're given from there.**

**Anyway, thanks again for your reviews and enthusiasm. Here's chapter 20.**

**oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooo**

The sun was up again, though the day was cloudier and therefore not as harsh as the one before. Still, Fiyero made sure he and the Lion stayed close to water at all times, to avoid problems like the ones he'd run into previously. According to the Lion they were only about a day's journey from the nearest Animal camp in this direction, at least from what he could remember. This news had lightened Fiyero's spirit. He hoped it meant that he had been travelling in the right direction.

As they traveled, the two made small talk. The Lion was a bit on the twitchy side, but Fiyero decided he was not the worst travel companion one could ask for. After they had been traveling for some time, a thought occurred to Fiyero.

"Hey, I just realized that I never even caught your name," he said.

The Lion seemed taken aback by this comment, "Oh, well…I don't really have a proper one. I suppose you can just call me Lion."

Fiyero was surprised, "That's it? You don't have any other name you go by?"

The Lion looked slightly ashamed, "Not that I know of. I probably had one once, but if I did I forgot it a long time ago."

Fiyero smiled sympathetically, "Okay, Lion it is then. My name's Fiyero though, by the way."

The Lion nodded, it appeared he had not thought to ask for a name either. The two walked on in silence for a bit longer after this, before the Lion spoke again, "So…this friend you're looking for. What happened to him?"

Fiyero smiled, "Her, actually. We were…separated. She's gotten herself into some trouble. I wanted to help her, but we actually aren't on the best terms at the moment and she wouldn't let me go with her."

The Lion looked nervous again, "Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

Fiyero couldn't come up with a plausible lie with which to answer that question, so instead he simply said, "Oh, it's nothing too serious don't worry. But I would really like to find her before it gets any worse."

The Lion didn't seem entirely convinced by this, but he let it drop for the moment and said, "So why are you headed to this camp? Is your friend an Animal?"

"No, but she's been helping them out. I know she spends a lot of time at these camps, and I had a tip that she might have been heading to this one most recently." said Fiyero.

The Lion paused for a moment, before he said, "It's funny. All of the gossip I've heard about these Animals from passersby seems to suggest that they're vicious trouble makers, not the type you'd want to associate yourself with."

Fiyero smiled bitterly and responded, "Well Lion, if I can give you some advice, you might not want to believe any of that gossip you've heard. The types of people spewing it are almost always misinformed. But you don't have to believe me, you'll see for yourself when we get there, after all."

The Lion seemed puzzled, "But why would people be saying it if it wasn't true?"

Fiyero let out a bitter laugh. "Well, I guess you really don't get out much huh?" he said.

The Lion still seemed a bit confused by Fiyero's reaction, but he said," Well in truth, I guess I've always wondered how they could all be so bad. After all, I'm an Animal and I'm not like that. I guess I always wondered why there weren't more like me."

The conversation trailed off from there, and the two went back to discussing more trivial matters. They stopped to rest and eat two times throughout the day, and once to pick more fruit when the opportunity presented itself. When the sun began to go down, the Lion became visibly more uncomfortable, jumping at every little sound. Eventually Fiyero became so frustrated that he suggested they stop for the night and get some rest.

This too, turned out to be a bit of an ordeal, as the Lion refused to sleep out in the open for fear of being ambushed. Fiyero, who had not seen any evidence of man nor beast who would possibly do them any harm, was getting fed up. In the end, they agreed to sleep in shifts. Fiyero could only imagine the number of times the Lion had jumped out of his skin during his watch, but Fiyero was grateful to have been unconscious for that.

The two set off again at first light, neither completely rested but not too much worse for the wear. After only an hour more of walking, they passed out of the forest and began to see the ever-growing shapes of tents in the distance.

Fiyero could feel his heart lift at the sight, grateful to finally be out of the woods. Yet now he had his next problem to face. He knew from experience that these Animals would probably not take too kindly to his presence. He hoped having the Lion with him would help his case a bit, another reason he'd been eager for the large Cat's company.

As they drew closer, Fiyero noticed the Lion's steps growing slower and slower, to the point where Fiyero had to grab the Cat's paw and half drag him along. As they approached the edge of the camp, Fiyero could already begin to feel the distrustful gazes upon him.

It was a Panther who first approached them, one of this camp's leaders, Fiyero assumed. He stood tall as the Panther approached, trying not to seem in any way suspicious. The Lion seemed to be trying to disappear behind Fiyero, no small feat for a Cat his size, and had begun to wring his paws together again.

The Panther stopped in front of Fiyero and looked him up and down. His voice betrayed his distrust as he asked, "What is your business here?"

Fiyero decided to take it slowly and begin with a less suspicious answer, "My friend here has heard of your camp and wanted to see it for himself. We've heard that you provide a place for refugee Animals."

The Lion looked at Fiyero questioningly, no doubt wondering why Fiyero had opened with this explanation instead of mentioning his lost friend. However he said nothing, for which Fiyero was grateful.

The Panther did not seem entirely convinced, and still clearly did not trust Fiyero very much at all, but it seemed as though the Lion's presence had helped in exactly the way that Fiyero had hoped it would.

Turning his attention to the Lion, the Panther said, "Is this true? You wish to join our camp?"

The Lion seemed panic stricken at suddenly having been addressed, but he managed to choke out, "Oh yes sir, I've been wanting to visit this place for a long time, but I've been too afraid to come on my own. My friend Fiyero here offered to come with me."

The Panther's eyes narrowed at this, but if he didn't believe the Lion's explanation, he made no move to show it. Instead he called to a Gazelle who was walking past. She joined them immediately, also eying the strange pair warily.

"This is Shannah, she will show your friend around," the Panther said, gesturing to the Lion. The Gazelle nodded and motioned for him to follow her. The Lion looked from Fiyero to the Gazelle and back again, worry evident on his face, but Fiyero nodded at him and the Lion eventually went away with her.

Fiyero watched the pair retreat. He had a sneaking suspicion that he would not be let off the hook quite so easily. Sure enough, when the other two were out of earshot, the Panther addressed Fiyero and said, "As for you, why don't you come with me? There are a few questions I would like to ask you."

Fiyero nodded, not letting his face betray any of the apprehension he was suddenly feeling. The Panther turned suddenly, his tail whipping behind him, and Fiyero followed silently behind. They passed by a good number of tents of varying sizes, and Fiyero noted that this camp seemed to be slightly larger than the last he'd been to. This thought inevitably brought about thoughts of Elphaba, but Fiyero pushed them down and hardened his resolve.

They stopped in front of a tent that did not seem much different from any of the others. The Panther held the flap open and Fiyero ducked inside. The tent was sparsely furnished with a table and chairs, a small cot and a bookshelf. The Panther motioned for Fiyero to take one of the seats and then sat across from him.

After a moment, the Panther spoke, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Filo."

Fiyero nodded and opened his mouth to speak, "I'm-"

Filo cut him off, "I believe I already know who you are. I heard your friend say that your name was Fiyero. You're here looking for Elphaba, correct?"

Fiyero was completely caught off guard by this, and sat gaping and unsure of how to respond. His silence seemed to confirm the Panther's suspicions, and after a moment Filo spoke again, "I don't know who you are or exactly what relationship you have to Elphaba, but she has done much for us and since she seems to trust you, I will offer you this courtesy as well."

Finally Fiyero seemed to find his voice, "So she has been here then? Is she still here? Please, I really need to find her."

Filo's face betrayed no emotion as he answered, "She was here for only three days, but she took off again last night. We received a bit of news that caused her to leave rather abruptly, but it is news that I now have reason to believe was falsely reported in order to lure her into a trap.

Fiyero could feel fear constricting his chest, "Why do you say that? What was the news?"

The Panther's eyes bore into Fiyero's as he said, "That Fiyero Tiggular had been taken into custody on charges of consorting with the Wicked Witch of the West, and was to be tortured for information and then killed."

**So yeah, things should begin to pick up a bit from here. To musicalvampirelove, I'm sorry to say that I genuinely have no clue what my intent was for this story originally. I do still have the old computer with the original story files on it though, and I believe there may have been an extra half a chapter or so that I wrote and never finished, so if I can find that and it sparks my memory I'll let you know. For now though, I hope you enjoy the new direction the story is taking. I do genuinely think it will be better than what I was thinking about before. **

**Thanks again for reading and I'll see you soon.**

S.P.


	21. Journey

**Alright, so Chapte 21. This is officially the longest story I've even written now, which is kind of cool. So far I've actually managed to finish another chapter, so right now I've got up to Chapter 24. We'll see, maybe I'll get further than that. I believe that if I do this story properly and the way I intend to, it should be somewhere between 35-40 chapters at completion. So that is kind of ambitious.**

**Anyway, thank you again to everyone who reviewed. It really does motivate me to know that there are people out there who want to know what happens next. I hope you'll enjoy the next few chapters. I'm kind of surprised myself with the direction they ended up taking since I genuinely had no idea what to do when I picked this back up. **

**Anyway, onwards and upwards. **

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Fiyero felt his blood run cold. He couldn't quite wrap his head around what he'd just heard. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but found he could not remember how to produce sound. Filo watched him coolly, betraying nothing.

After a few moments, the Panther spoke again, "I take it from your reactions then, that my suspicions were correct and you are indeed Fiyero Tiggular?"

Finally the gears in Fiyero's brain seemed to start turning again, and he managed to respond, "Y-yes, that's me."

"Then, as I said, it would seem that this piece of news was fictitious, and the only reason I can think of for fabricating such a story would be to lure Elphaba into a trap," said Filo.

Fiyero sank back into his chair, his head swimming. Surely, Elphaba wouldn't have taken any crazy risks on his account? After all, she wasn't exactly thrilled with him. Surely she wouldn't risk her own capture to save his sorry hide?

But a nagging voice in the back of his head told him otherwise. Though Fiyero admitted he had only spent a short time with Elphaba, rushing headlong into danger to rescue someone else seemed to him exactly the sort of thing she would do. Couple that with the fact that she would believe it to be her fault and Elphaba would never be able to resist. Whoever had spread this rumor had known exactly what buttons to push. Fiyero only hoped he wasn't too late to stop Elphaba from falling for it.

Suddenly panicked, Fiyero sprung from his chair and said, "Please you have to tell me whatever you know. I have to stop her before it's too late!"

Filo looked Fiyero up and down once more, still making no sign of any emotion. It was beginning to weigh on Fiyero's nerves that the Cat could be so composed at a time like this.

Finally, the Panther stood and nodded. "I do believe you are being sincere," he said finally, "And I will try to help you to the best of my ability. As I told you earlier, Elphaba left early last night, just as the sun went down."

Fiyero didn't like the sound of that. "Was she planning to travel on foot, or did she have her broomstick with her?" he asked, hoping it was the former. If she'd gone by air he would have little to no way of catching her.

"I believe her plan was to fly through the forest, where she could use the cover of the trees to avoid being spotted. From there she would continue on foot. Knowing Elphaba, I can almost guarantee she will not act until the sun sets tonight. She will want the cover of darkness." Filo responded.

Fiyero's heart fell, "It's no good then. It took me more than a day's walk just to make it through the forest and find this place, and then it's an additional half a day's journey to the Emerald City from there. On foot there's no way I'll be able to make it there by tonight."

Filo nodded and was silent for a moment, as though he were lost in thought. After a moment he replied, "On foot no, but I do think there may be a way we can help you."

Filo made his way towards the entrance to the tent again, and motioned for Fiyero to follow. His curiosity piqued, Fiyero did so without second thought. They weaved their way through more rows of tents, Fiyero not quite sure how to keep track of where they were going. He wondered briefly how the Lion was making out, but his train of thought was cut short when Filo motioned for him to stop.

Fiyero was told to wait outside while Filo entered a nearby tent. Unsure of what to do with himself, Fiyero rocked nervously on his heels and stared down at his hands, trying to ignore all of the strange looks he was receiving from passersby. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Filo emerged from the tent, followed by a young chestnut colored Horse. Fiyero had never seen a Horse before, and he marveled at how tall the creature was when it stood up on its hind legs.

Fiyero understood immediately, though he felt a bit abashed at the concept. Sure enough, Filo said, "This is Taison, he has agreed to help you reach the Emerald City by nightfall. We Animals know this area well, and Taison is quite fast. He will be able to get you there in time."

Fiyero wasn't sure what the implications of this were for the Horse. Turning to face Taison, he said, "I thank you for the offer, but are you sure you're okay with this?"

Taison nodded and waved his hoof, "Absolutely. I have already agreed to help you for Miss Elphaba's sake."

Fiyero was once again taken aback at how much love Elphaba seemed to have garnered in the Animal community. It was astounding what dichotomous opinions of the woman could be found among the different factions in Oz.

Having heard the Horse's agreement for himself, Fiyero nodded gratefully. Filo disappeared into Taison's tent once more, and returned a few moments later holding a leather saddle. Taison dropped to all fours and allowed it to be fastened to his back. He seemed less than happy with the arrangement, but said nothing.

Once the saddle was firmly in place, Taison turned to Fiyero and said, "So I will be carrying you on my back, but I won't have you digging your heels into my side. You just sit tight and I'll do the steering. Also I won't be wearing reins, so you're just going to have to hold on as best you can.

Fiyero nodded his understanding. He was fairly confident he wouldn't have a problem. He was comfortable on horseback. He had learned to ride as a boy and had often been mounted on Gale Force missions.

With that, Fiyero placed his feet in the stirrups and pulled himself up onto Taison's back. He marveled at how this felt exactly like riding a regular horse, though he knew better than to voice the thought aloud.

He was about to tell Taison he was ready to leave, when he remembered the Lion once more. He didn't want to waste time going to find the Cat himself, so instead he turned to Filo and said, "My friend, the Lion I came here with earlier, can you tell him I've gone to find my missing friend? Don't give him more information than that for now. As it stands he's only heard the Wizard's propaganda about Elphaba, and he believes the stories about the Wicked Witch of the West. Just tell him I wish him luck, and that I hope to see him again soon if I'm able."

Fiyero felt bad to leave the Lion on his own in a new place like this, but he'd feel even worse if he dragged him along to the Emerald City and put him in danger. No, it would be better if the Cat stayed behind at the camp and began to socialize with his own kind.

That taken care of, Fiyero let Taison know he was ready to go and the Horse took off at a cantor. As they made their way through the camp, Animals who did not know what was going on stared open mouthed at the pair as they went by. Finally they made their way out of the camp, and Taison shouted a quick "Hang on!" before taking off in a gallop so fast that Fiyero nearly went flying off the Horse's back. He made a wild grab for Taison's neck and held on for dear life until he could adjust to the new speed.

After a few moments Fiyero regained his bearings and shifted into a more manageable position. Taison had not opted to go through the forest, but had chosen a different route Fiyero did not recognize. He was grateful for this decision, as it would have been difficult to maintain their current speed while trying not to flatten themselves against a tree.

They carried on at a brisk pace for the better part of the afternoon, before Taison slowed his gait a bit. A short while later they took a rest, during which Fiyero finished what was left of his provisions and Taison ate some oats from a sack he'd had strapped to his saddle.

Once they'd regained their strength, the pair continued their journey. As the sky began to lose its first bit of light, the Emerald City skyline appeared on the horizon. Fiyero could feel the cold weight of apprehension sitting in his gut, but he tried not to think about it as the shining green buildings loomed ever closer.

Just before the city gates, Fiyero dismounted and nodded his thanks to Taison. It wouldn't be safe for the Horse within the city, even if he did remain as inconspicuous as possible. He couldn't enter the palace with Fiyero, and once the Winkie prince went in there would be no telling whether he'd be coming out alive again.

Still the Horse protested, "Let me take you as far as the palace at least."

Fiyero shook his head, "No. You've been a greater help than I could have asked for. Thank you, but I need to go alone from here."

After a moment the Horse nodded and said, "All right then. Good luck, to both of you."

With that Taison turned back the way he'd come and set off again. Fiyero watched his retreating back until it was out of sight, and then turned back to the task at hand. For a moment Fiyero worried that he might be recognized within the city. However, he was currently more grimy, disheveled and unshaven than he'd even dared to appear in public before, and he was also not in uniform, so he doubted he would be recognized by anyone who happened to take a passing glance. With a deep breath, he made his way into the city he'd once called home with a level of apprehension he'd never experienced before.

The last of the sunlight was draining now, and Fiyero was truly beginning to worry. If Elphaba had come to the city to attempt a rescue then she was going to begin putting her plans into action soon. Fiyero had a fairly good idea where he would find her if she went through with her plan. He truly hoped he'd be wrong. He hoped Elphaba had ignored the news of his capture and hadn't come to his aid.

As expected, no one paid Fiyero any mind as he walked briskly down the city streets. He would have preferred to run flat out, but he didn't want to do anything that would attract unwanted attention. He went around the palace from the back way. The guards' shifts would be changing soon, as they did every night. There would be a small window, when the new guard came to take his post, where they wouldn't be paying as much attention to their surroundings. Fiyero waited for this and then, seizing his moment, scrambled over the green brick wall at the back of the palace, barely managing to keep his grip and avoid falling flat on his back.

Once he was over the gate, he was completely reliant on the darkness and his own skills as a Gale Force member to hide him. One of the benefits of having been trained to hunt the Wicked Witch of the West was the wide variety of stealth training that he was now putting to good use. Once he was sure the coast was clear, Fiyero began to make his way towards the dungeons.

**And that's that. I'm really trying hard to keep the timeline of this thing straight. Since there's been such a long gap since I started it I keep having to go back and double check how long all of this running back and forth between different places is taking and keep it consistent. I hope I've been doing at least a passable job so far. **

**Hope you enjoyed, I'll see you next time.**

S.P.


	22. Escape

**Okay, so here we go again. This probably isn't my best chapter, but it does get the call rolling a bit more. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks again to everyone who read and left me a review, you're the bomb.**

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The sky was dark tonight, a fact for which Fiyero was grateful. The moon was not very full, and what bit of it was visible was obscured by dark clouds. Fiyero used this cover to his advantage as he made his way around the back of the palace, keeping close to the walls to further hide himself. He knew his way around almost by heart, and relied on this knowledge as he strained his eyes in the darkness.

The dungeons had several entrances, one of which led to the outside. It was this entrance Fiyero was making his way towards now. As he went, he tried to formulate a course of action for dealing with the guards that would be watching the post.

As Fiyero drew nearer, however, he did not find two guards standing at attention, as he'd expected to. Instead, the two men lay slumped on the ground, quite obviously unconscious. It was all Fiyero needed to confirm his suspicions.

Hastening his pace slightly, he moved toward the entrance as quickly as he could without disturbing the unconscious guards. The door that led to the dungeons was large an old, made up of warped wood and iron. Fiyero flinched involuntarily as he tugged on the handle, expecting the old door to moan horribly as he pulled it open, but mercifully it was not as loud as he'd expected.

It was even blacker inside. Dark as the night was, the glow from the doorway still cast its light over the dungeon staircase. With one last backwards glance to make sure he had not been seen, Fiyero pulled the door closed behind him as silently as he could and stood still in the darkness for a few moments, hoping his eyes would adjust. When they didn't, Fiyero placed his hand against the wall and began to feel his way down the spiraling staircase.

As he neared the cellblock, Fiyero thought he heard voices, and paused momentarily to listen. Indeed there were a pair of voices speaking in low, urgent whispers. Fiyero strained his ears as best he could, but he could make out neither the voices' owners nor the topic of their conversation. Slowly, he continued to make his way closer. Some light began to reach his eyes now, coming in from the few small windows along the walls by the cells.

There were no prisoners being held at the moment, not in this part of the castle at any rate. This was where the human prisoners were kept, and for the time being most of those wanted for capture were Animals, and they were kept in much smaller cells known as "cages."

Finally Fiyero reached the bottom of the stairs. The voices were coming from around the corner. Though they were still a bit too far away to make out properly, Fiyero registered that they were both female. Their words were becoming slightly louder now. It sounded to Fiyero as though they were having some sort of an argument.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Fiyero gathered his courage and poked his head around the corner as far as he dared, hoping that whoever was down here wouldn't notice him.

The first thing Fiyero noted was that four other guards lay slumped around the

room in various awkward positions. He supposed it explained why he'd been able to make his way inside so quickly. Next his eyes travelled to the two whispering figures standing across the room from him.

The one on the left he recognized immediately. Elphaba's green skin shone noticeably, even in the dim light. Fiyero squinted as he tried to make out the other. She was shorter, dressed in a slim but elegant nightgown. _Glinda! _Fiyero registered with surprise. With all that had been going on for the past couple of days, Fiyero had spared hardly a thought to his ex-fiancée.

Moments later, their conversation seemed to reach its peak, and the two women went for each other's throats. Startled, by the sudden display of hostility between the two, Fiyero darted from his hiding place.

The two women nearly jumped out of their skins as they registered his sudden presence. In her surprise, Elphaba threw her hands up instinctively, and Fiyero suddenly found himself slammed with an invisible force that sent him skidding across the dungeon on his back.

Fiyero moaned, a bit shocked from the sudden impact. He supposed he should have known better than to rush out like. Seeing that their unexpected guest was incapacitated, the two women crept towards him to get a closer look. As they neared Fiyero, their eyes widened with recognition.

"Fiyero?" they said, nearly in unison. Whatever they had been about to kill each other over moments before appeared forgotten.

However, before anything more could be said, there came a loud knock from the door across the room. The noise they'd made must have attracted attention. Fiyero could see that the door had been barred from the inside, but it strained a bit as something slammed against it.

"Is someone down there?" came a male voice.

All three of them froze, Fiyero still lying flat on his back. Elphaba and Glinda helped him to his feet just as another, harder push forced the door open and half a dozen Gale Force guards came streaming into the dungeon.

"Seize them!" one of the men shouted.

Time seemed to slow down for a few moments as the guards rushed towards them. Fiyero squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact of having his arms seized. However, after a few moments it still had not come. He tentatively reopened his eyes.

Fiyero let out an audible gasp as he realized they were no longer standing in the palace dungeons, but rather a good ways away on the outskirts of the city. Plumes of red smoke were still disappearing into the air, the vanishing remnants of the teleportation spell that had brought them here.

Fiyero twisted around, looking for Elphaba, but was surprised to see Glinda standing close by as well. For a few moments no one spoke.

Glinda was the first to shatter the silence. Turning to glare at Elphaba, she half-shouted, half-whispered, "Oh this is just wonderful! Why in Oz name have you dragged me along with you?"

Elphaba still appeared fairly shocked herself, but she seemed to snap out of it when she heard Glinda speak and replied, "Oh give it a rest princess, it's not as though I planned this. I panicked, it was an automatic response."

"Well I for one am not getting dragged into this fine mess you've created," said Glinda, gathering up the bottom of her nightgown so that it would not trail on the ground.

Elphaba grew livid. "The mess _I_ created?" she spat.

Glinda seemed to deflate a bit at this. She let the bottom of her gown drop back to the floor. Sighing, she responded, "I never meant for it to go this far. Not really."

Fiyero, at this point, was completely lost, and the two women didn't seem to be forthcoming with any sort of explanation. Shifting his feet, he cleared his throat loudly enough to interrupt their conversation.

Elphaba and Glinda both turned to face Fiyero, though neither seemed to know what to make of him. There was another short pause. This time Elphaba spoke first.

"I'm glad you're alright," she said, though her voice was rather cold. He supposed that just because she'd attempted his rescue it didn't mean she wasn't still angry with him.

Glinda was even less happy to see him. "Well I for one don't care whether you're okay or not. You can drop dead where you stand for all I care," she said. Fiyero could see that her eyes were shining. "I don't want anything more to do with this. I'm going back to the palace."

"Oh that's a wonderful idea," Elphaba said, "I'm sure Madame Morrible and the Wizard won't suspect that you had anything to do with this little escape we just pulled off."

Glinda froze, comprehension dawning on her face.

"You're in this as deep as the rest of us now Glinda," Elphaba said, picking up her broomstick.

"No, that can't be true. I'll just go back, I'll explain that you kidnapped me against my will. They'll have to believe me, I'm Glinda the Good!" she said.

Elphaba glared and replied, "Why don't you grow a spine for once? Are you really going to go sniveling back to the Wizard and Morrible after all they've done?"

Glinda, for her part, at least had the grace to look ashamed. All of a sudden, she collapsed into a sitting position and dropped her head into her hands. "But I'm not cut out for this! I'm not like you, I can't be on the run! And on top of that, you two traitors are the last people I want anything to do with right now!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes at Glinda's little tantrum. "Well you're free to go off on your own then, but unless you think you'll last five minutes by yourself, I'd say you're stuck with us for now." Elphaba said.

Glinda composed herself a bit and rose to her feet. Dusting off her nightgown, she replied, "But where do you even plan to go? You're at the top of the wanted list Elphaba. Every guard in the Emerald City is probably already out looking for you!"

Fiyero had a sudden thought. Turning to face the two women he said, "My family has a castle at Kiamo Ko. There shouldn't be anyone there but the guards right now and I don't think anyone in the Emerald City would know about it. We should be able to safely hide out there for as long as we need.

Elphaba thought this over for a moment and responded, "You're sure it will be deserted then?"

Fiyero nodded and replied, "Yes I'm absolutely certain."

"Let's go then. I don't say this often, but Glinda's right. The guards are most likely already after us. We need to move quickly if we're going to stay ahead," Elphaba said.

Glinda looked back and forth between the two of them, seemingly at a loss. After a few moments she seemed to resign herself to her current fate, and all three of them took off towards the forest.

**And yep. So I thought this would be more fun if I dragged Glinda into it. Especially because writing this strictly from Fiyero's point of view means we won't get to see her otherwise. Hope you enjoyed, see you next time.  
S.P.**


	23. Tensions

**Okay so I'm sorry this one took so long. I've been trying to finish up writing chapter 25 before I posted this one, but it's being an absolute bitch and I still haven't managed to finished it. I didn't realize when I decided to add Glinda into the mix that it would be so difficult to write scenes with the three of them.**

Also I had a really strange day today. I live in Manhattan and it was extremely nice out, so I decided to take a walk uptown (I live in the Village). I ended up passing through Times Square and when I got up by the Gershwin I realized they were doing the Wicked lottery, so on a whim I put in for one ticked and I won. I'd just seen it like 3 weeks ago but really who passes up a $30 ticket? So I just spontaneously saw Wicked again, sitting in the front row by myself like a loser. Pretty decent Sunday afternoon though, especially since it wasn't planned.

**Anyway I hope you guys don't hate the way I've decided to write Glinda over the course of the next couple of chapters. I won't say much about it now, but I hope you won't consider it out of character when you get there. I tend to give her a lot of credit on average. Anyway I'll stop talking now, here's the next chapter. **

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Fiyero trailed behind Elphaba and Glinda, still reeling from all that had happened in just the last couple of hours. The two women had not said a word to each other since they'd departed the Emerald City, and Fiyero was practically choking on the tension in the air. He remembered the way the two had been at each other's throats in the dungeons and knew it was probably wiser not to interfere. After all, he had a sneaking suspicion he was to blame for at least a good deal of the anger between them, and that they both had a fair bit of it to direct his way as well.

Yet after another hour of walking in silence Fiyero found that his curiosity was killing him. He still had next to no idea what had been going on when he'd found Elphaba and Glinda at the palace, or why Glinda was suddenly along for the ride. If Fiyero didn't speak up soon he was liable to explode.

Breaking the silence tentatively, Fiyero said, "So, does anyone want to explain to me what's going on?"

There was a long pause, during which Fiyero began to wonder if they would answer his question at all or whether he was receiving the silent treatment. He supposed it would be fair if that were the case. Both women had justifiable reasons to be angry with him.

However, eventually Elpaba supplied a response. "Glinda sold me out," she said. Her voice was even but laced with venom.

As was to be expected, Glinda did not keep silent in the wake of this accusation. "Well what do you want from me?" she huffed, "You betrayed me first, you and Fiyero! Going behind my back for Oz knows how long!"

Fiyero swallowed hard as he watched their argument take off. Perhaps he shouldn't have pushed this.

Elphaba gritted her teeth. "I've already told you, we have not been going behind your back! I had never even met Fiyero before two weeks ago, and he certainly did not tell me he was engaged! And in any case, even if we had been that would still not be an acceptable excuse for selling me out to the Wizard!" she snapped.

"Well I didn't really, did I?" Glinda retorted, "If I had I wouldn't be in this mess. I'd be back in my bed at the Emerald Palace, not traipsing around the forest in my nightdress with you!"

"You should have just stayed behind then! Oz knows I didn't need your help to avoid being captured!" Elphaba shot back.

Glinda huffed, "Oh come on Elphaba, you know I wouldn't have actually stood by and let them captutre you that way. Even though I'm fairly sure I'd like to kill you myself at the moment."

They lapsed into silence, but Fiyero was still confused. He was debating whether or not he should open his mouth again when Elphaba seemed to realize they'd never answered his original question and spoke up, "After I escaped, Glinda went to the Wizard and Morrible and told them to use you to set a trap for me. Since I would assume you'd returned to the Emerald City, it wouldn't be far fetched that they could take you into custody, and Oz knows they'd have no problems torturing you to get information on me. Then, once they'd lured me to the palace to attempt your rescue, Morrible was planning to catch me with my guard down and without my spell book."

"Yes, but I felt terrible about it and I've been going down to the dungeons every night since so that if Elphaba showed up I could warn her away before they caught her. So don't make me out to be a terrible person!" Glinda said.

"Oh you actually felt _bad_ about effectively sentencing your friend to death. You're right Glinda, you're an absolute saint," Elphaba shot back.

Glinda sighed, "Well either way, I'm paying for it now aren't I?"

Now that he'd heard the full explanation, Fiyero supposed it made sense. It did seem very like Glinda to let her emotions get the better of her that way, and he had given her fair enough reason to be upset. Still, Fiyero was glad to know that she was incapable of going through with something that awful.

They walked on in silence again after that. The night had grown cold, and Fiyero could feel the chill seeping in through his now-ragged long sleeved shirt. Elphaba seemed fine in the heavy black dress and cloak she was wearing, but Glinda, who was dressed in nothing but a short-sleeved nightgown, had visibly begun to shiver.

Noticing Glinda's discomfort, Fiyero said, "It's about three day's journey to Kiamo Ko, and we don't have any provisions or a change of clothing. "

"I still have some supplies," Elphaba responded, "But certainly not enough for a three day journey."

Fiyero nodded and replied, "Yes, and it also won't do to have Glinda traipsing through the woods in her night clothes and slippers."

Elphaba, who seemed to have been oblivious to Glinda's predicament up to this point, turned her gaze to her shivering friend. Grudgingly she sighed and undid the knot where her cloak was fastened around her neck. Saying nothing, she held it out to Glinda, who seemed surprised but accepted it gratefully.

Fiyero was pleased to see that the two were at least willing to get along, despite the hard feelings between all three of them. He supposed this was a matter of survival. "So I was thinking, would we be able to pick up some supplies if we stopped at the Animal camp in this direction? The one you were at most recently before you came to the Emerald City to find me. It's not too far out of our way, no more than an extra half a day's journey," Fiyero suggested.

Elphaba seemed surprised. "How do you know about that place?" she asked, a small measure of distrust in her voice.

Fiyero was taken aback; he'd forgotten she hadn't exactly wanted him to follow her there. "I went looking for you after you vanished. I realize you probably told all of the Animals at the first camp not to give me any information about where you were going, but I suppose you forgot to give Lorgen the memo," he replied.

Elphaba shook her head and said, "That girl," but Fiyero could still hear the fondness in her voice.

Fiyero continued, "She pointed me in the right direction, and from there I found the other camp." He left out the bits about the Lion, deeming it unnecessary information for the time being. He glanced over at Glinda as he finished his explanation. He knew this was probably not what she wanted to be hearing, but she said nothing, and her face was unreadable in the darkness.

"It appears I was not as careful in covering my tracks as I'd hoped." said Elphaba, "Though I suppose in this case it did turn out for the better. At any rate yes, I think stopping there would be for the best. However, I think we should continue for as long as we are physically able before stopping, and when we do we should take short rests in shifts. We'll need to stay off any of the beaten paths as well."

Fiyero nodded his approval; ignoring the fact the gesture would go unseen in the darkness. He imagined Elphaba had plenty of experience evading Gale Force guards, but she had also never traveled in a group. He was also particularly concerned with Glinda, who had never lacked for comfort a day in her life. To her credit though, she did not protest Elphaba's plans.

And so, as promised, the three walked on for as long as they were able. Elphaba had taken the lead, and Fiyero glanced about with a sort of vague recognition as they went. He could hardly believe he had passed through these woods on his own such a short time ago.

Eventually, the three travelers grew too weary to continue. As was to be expected, Glinda was the first to give in to fatigue, though Fiyero was not far behind her. By this time the first light of dawn had begun to creep its way over the tree tops, and even Elphaba's steps were beginning to falter.

Before she would allow them to officially stop and rest, Elphaba insisted on flying up on her broomstick to confirm that there were no Gale Force troops in their immediate vicinity. Taking care to remain out of site within the tree branches, she did a quick survey of the area that apparently assuaged her fears. There was no way to tell whether they'd lost the members of the Wizard's guard completely or merely gotten a respectable head start, but given their exhaustion they had no choice but to take a short rest and hope they would remain out of sight.

To no one's surprise, Elphaba volunteered to take the first watch. Fiyero protested out of courtesy, but he already knew any attempts to dissuade her would be futile. The three found a suitably secluded place to sleep and cobbled together a sort of makeshift camp in silence. There was still very obvious tension between them, and Fiyero couldn't help but feel that they weren't going to be able to go on like this forever. Eventually, preferably sooner rather than later, the three of them were going to have to talk.

As he finished arranging a bunch of leaves into a pile roughly the size of his body, he glanced over and realized tht Glinda was already fast asleep, wrapped tightly in Elphaba's cloak. He smiled sadly. On some level, it was his fault she was out here. This was all pretty much his fault in fact, but he hadn't wanted it this way. He had never wanted to hurt Glinda, but it would have been crueler to carry on with her the way they'd been once he'd realized he had no true feelings for her. Wouldn't it?

Fiyero shook his head and sighed. Glancing behind him, he found that Elphaba had already taken up her post. He knew she must be tired as well, but still she stood tall and imposing, clutching her broomstick at her side. Feeling Fiyero's eyes upon her, she turned to face him.

"You should go to sleep. I'll wake you up when it's your turn. I think we should just split the watch between the two of us. I think Glinda should sleep if we have any hope of getting moving again, and I can't say I really I trust her abilities as a guard at all anyway," she said.

Fiyero nodded, already feeling drowsy. "I never got a chance to thank you for coming to my rescue," he said, his voice slurring slightly.

It was still dark, even with the sun beginning to rise, but he liked to imagine that Elphaba was smiling slightly. "Well, I couldn't leave you to die for my sake could I? I thought we'd already established that I'm not really a wicked witch," she responded.

Fiyero wanted to say more to her, but sleep was already overtaking him, and before he could manage another word he was snoring softly and Elphaba had returned to her watch.

**So moving along. We'll get a lot more confrontation between the three of them in the coming chapters, so I hope I'm not boring you too much in the interim. Thanks for reading, leave a review if you can.**

S.P.


	24. Acceptance

**Hey there. I'm not going to lie, I think I may be losing momentum on this a bit. I have another chapter written after this one, but I haven't managed to write anything else since my last update. It also seems as though interest in this fic is waning anyway. Is it because I changed the direction of chapter 19? Some people seemed a bit miffed by that, and I'm sorry if that put you off reading the rest of the story.**

But either way, onwards for now. I kind of like the way this chapter turned out, and I think it's a scene that needed to happen if the story is going to continue to progress the way it is. Hope you like it.

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Fiyero felt as though no time had passed at all when he was shaken awake by Elphaba's hand on his shoulder. Sitting up, still groggy, he pulled himself to his feet and offered his "bed" to Elphaba, who by this time looked completely worn out herself. She accepted without a word and lay down, her eyes closing almost immediately. Fiyero's eyes lingered on her, perhaps for a few moments too long, before he turned and slumped against a tree.

After that he had nothing to do but wait and watch the trees of the forest silently as Elphaba and Glinda slept behind him. The sun was high in the sky now, but there was still no sign that they'd been followed, which was a blessing. Fiyero was unaware of how much time had passed, but after a while Elphaba roused behind him. It took their combined efforts to finally drag Glinda back to her feet, but afterwards they set off towards the Animal camp once more.

It was no more than three or four hours before the trio reached their destination. Fiyero could see the familiar sight of the tents in the distance. He felt a sense of relief that he was returning with Elphaba and not with bad news. He wondered if Taison had made the journey back all right. He would have to be sure to thank him again.

Some of the Animals saw them coming when they were still a fair distance away, and Elphaba's presence meant that their arrival this time was met with enthusiasm rather than distrustful silence. Some of the Animals still shot nervous looks toward Fiyero and Glinda, but Elphaba's presence meant that they were more excited than anything else.

Glinda, who was used to being the center of attention herself, and had imagined Elphaba's life to be a reclusive one filled with thankless toil, seemed taken aback by the enthusiastic greeting her friend was receiving. The Animals, who were mostly cut off from the rest of Oz, were vaguely aware of the name Glinda the Good, but had no idea what she looked like. So Glinda and Fiyero stood back, ignored for the most part, and watched as Elphaba greeted dozens of smiling faces. Once the excitement had died down, she turned to address Filo, who had appeared at some point amidst the commotion.

"These are my friends, Fiyero and Glinda. I hate to ask this of you, but if there any way you could spare them a change of clothes, and give us some provisions for our journey? I would be indebted to you for it." said Elphaba.

Filo trained his eyes on Fiyero and said, "Master Fiyero and I are already acquainted. As for you Miss Glinda, my name is Filo. It's lovely to meet you."

Glinda, who seemed to be in a bit of a daze, jumped at the mention of her name and responded, "Oh? Oh, yes! It's lovely to meet you too."

Elphaba looked between Fiyero and the Panther and said, "Well then, I suppose I have you to thank for Fiyero's mysterious appearance in the Emerald City?"

Filo merely smiled in his slightly cryptic way, before responding, "Of course it would be no trouble at all to help you on your journey, Elphaba. Surely we owe you more than some food and a change of clothing?" he turned to Fiyero and Glinda and continued, "Why don't you two come with me while we give Elphaba a chance to catch up with everyone? We'll see if we can't find you something to change into."

Fiyero nodded and started after the Panther. Glinda, who still appeared a bit dazed by her surroundings, followed wordlessly behind Fiyero. They were led to a small tent filled with linens and clothing of varying sizes. Filo browsed the shelves for a moment, before pulling out a few articles of clothing and tossing them to Glinda and Fiyero.

"I'm sorry if they're not the best fit. We make due with what we have here, and most of our clothing comes from donations from our own people or from whatever Elphaba can manage to scavenge for us," Filo said.

With that, the Panther turned and retreated from the tent, leaving only Fiyero and Glinda standing there alone. Fiyero suddenly felt awkward.

"I'll uh, I'll just go get changed outside," Fiyero suggested, motioning toward the tent flap as he examined the slightly mismatched shirt and trousers he'd been handed. He didn't wait for a response before slipping out.

Fiyero moved around to the back of the tent and then glanced about to make sure there was no one in eyeshot. With some measure of relief, he pulled off the now-grimy clothes he'd been wearing for the better part of a week. The new clothes were not exactly the height of fashion and they hung a bit loose on his frame, as Filo has warned, but they were clean and dry and that was Fiyero's only real concern at the moment.

Not sure what to do with the clothes he'd been wearing, Fiyero stood holding them while he waited an appropriate amount of time for Glinda to finish changing. After several minutes had passed, he returned to the front of the tent and called, "Hey Glinda, are you finished changing yet?"

When she didn't respond, Fiyero became a bit concerned. "Glinda?" he called again, slightly louder. Still no response.

Tentatively, Fiyero pushed the tent flap aside and peered in. Upon seeing Glinda, Fiyero's first instinct was to bolt in the other direction.

She was sitting on the floor. She seemed to have simply sunk down where she'd been standing. Her face was in her hands and her body was shaking as she sobbed. The ill fitting blue frock that she was now wearing, which was about a size or two too big, completed the sad picture of the usually-composed Good Witch. Fiyero was at a loss.

"Glinda what's wrong?" he asked, knowing it was the proper thing to do even though he was fairly certain he already knew the answer.

He was surprised when his question was not met with anger. He'd expected her to start yelling, maybe slap him once or twice. Yet instead she didn't even raise her face from her hands as she choked out, "I understand."

Fiyero wasn't sure what to make of it. Carefully, he asked, "What are you talking about?"

She raised her eyes to meet his. They were red and puffy from crying. She wasn't wearing makeup, another product of the fact that they'd fled the Emerald City in the middle of the night. Fiyero registered that this was the first time he'd ever seen her without it. He noted that she still looked just as lovely and the thought made his heart ache slightly.

Glinda continued, "I understand how you could choose Elphaba over me. She's so much stronger than I am, she always has been. She fought for what she believes in, and all of those Animals adore her the same way the Ozians love me. But she doesn't have to pretend to win their affection. I'm just an act. I'm weak. I understand."

Fiyero was absolutely shocked. He'd never known these insecurities existed in Glinda. The bubbly blond had always seemed so cheerful and confident. He knew that Glinda and Elphaba had been friends, but he'd never expected that his former fiancée could harbor feelings of jealousy towards the 'Wicked Witch of the West.'

Fiyero felt terrible. He kneeled down next to Glinda and put is arm around her shoulder. She leaned against him, her chest heaving as she began to sob again.

"Glinda I'm so sorry. I truly never meant to hurt you. I do love you, just not the way you want me to," he said softly. This didn't seem to comfort her very much at all.

Fiyero continued, "I care about you Glinda, you're one of the kindest, most beautiful women I've ever known, but you have to understand. We never chose each other; we were betrothed. I had feelings for you, that wasn't a lie, but I never knew they weren't really love. They weren't like what I feel for Elphaba. And I truly wish I could have figured that out before I ended up hurting you."

"But I loved you," Glinda whispered. She seemed to be calming down a bit, though tears were still streaming down her cheeks.

Fiyero smiled sadly. "I know. I'm sorry," was the only response he could give her.

They stayed like that for a while longer, neither sure what else to say. Glinda's breathing had returned to normal though, and she seemed to have recovered from her earlier outburst.

After some time, Glinda finally broke the silence, "I respect your decision." Fiyero turned to face her, a bit surprised by the sudden declaration. Glinda continued, "I won't lie and say that this doesn't hurt terribly, or that I've forgiven the two of you for going behind my back. But…if you truly want to be with Elphaba instead of me…if you love her, I respect your decision."

Fiyero could only look at her for a few moments. She looked completely defeated, and he could tell that it was a difficult thing for her to say. He was suddenly overwhelmed with compassion for the blond woman, and he pulled her into a tight hug. After a moment she responded, and they clung together for a few long moments. They knew they were officially saying goodbye to the relationship they'd had.

When they finally broke apart, Glinda's eyes were shining again, but she did not cry. Fiyero smiled at her and said, "Glinda, you really are too good."

They were still there, kneeling together on the floor of the tent, when a loud scream split the afternoon's silence.

**So this is what I meant about my portrayal of Glinda. I tend to think of her as a bit more mature after Defying Gravity, a scene that still took place for her in this fic's universe. I also think she would be envious of Elphaba's strength and conviction, especially after it wins Fiyero away. So that's just a bit of explanation for why I chose to write this confrontation the way I did. Thanks for reading!**

S.P.


	25. Misconceptions

**So wow, I don't really know what to say about the lovely amount of response to last chapter. I've been very worried since I picked this story back up that people wouldn't be keen on picking it back up with me, but I can see now that that isn't the case. So thanks again, truly, for letting me know that people are still reading and enjoying this story. I've managed to push on and complete chapter 26, one that was giving me a ton of trouble, and the writing seems to be coming a lot easier from there. I've got a couple more chapters written, and a renewed determination to finish this story. **

**I hope you like this chapter, because I think I do. I know I've king of been holding out on you, but we'll be getting back into some actual Fiyeraba shortly, I promise. I'm going to answer some reviews at the end of the chapter, and I'll probably end up writing a novel, so you can easily skip over that if you want. For now, I hope you enjoy the chapter. **

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Glinda and Fiyero both nearly jumped out of their skins as a loud and unexpected male shout rang through the air. The heavy conversation they'd been having only minutes ago forgotten, the two darted from the tent to see what the commotion was. Fiyero hoped with all his might that they hadn't been followed here. Dragging all of these Animals down with them was the last thing any of them wanted.

A small crowd had gathered a short distance away, and it didn't take Fiyero long to determine the source of the commotion. Elphaba stood, looking entirely confused and bewildered, as a fully-grown Lion lay whimpering on the ground before her, his shaggy head partially obscured by his paws. Fiyero felt the terror drain out of him at the sight. He had almost forgotten that the Lion didn't know the truth about Elphaba.

Two other Animals were already dragging the Lion to his feet as Fiyero and Glinda approached, and it was clear that his legs were shaking uncontrollably. Elphaba still seemed to have no idea what was going on or what she'd done to induce such a reaction. Fiyero mused that the near heart attack he'd just suffered might have been worth it just to see the look on her face right now.

In his struggle to escape the two Animals now supporting his weight, the Lion twisted around wildly until he laid eyes on Fiyero. The recognition seemed to startle him, and he stopped fighting for a moment.

"Fiyero?" he asked skeptically.

This seemed to snap Elphaba out of her daze. She looked back and forth between Fiyero and the Lion with one eyebrow raised. "You two know each other?" she asked.

The sound of Elphaba's voice seemed to send the Lion into a panic again, but Fiyero stepped forward. "This is my friend Elphaba Lion," he began, casting a glance at Elphaba as the word "friend" left his mouth. He felt self-conscious explaining this in front of her. "She's the one I was looking for."

The Lion's eyes widened as they darted back and forth between Fiyero and Elphaba, "B-but…she's…" he stammered, unable to voice a coherent thought.

Fiyero sighed and responded, "I think maybe we should talk."

It took a fair amount of time to calm the Lion down enough so that he would speak in Elphaba's presence, but eventually he seemed to gather just enough nerve to recount the story of his traumatic childhood. Fiyero could see some sort of realization dawning on Elphaba's face as the Lion spoke, but she remained quiet until he'd finished the whole story.

There was a length of silence afterwards, during which no one seemed to know quite what to say. After what seemed like an eternity, Elphaba looked down at her hands and said, "I'm sorry, I never meant to frighten you."

The Lion watched her speak with an expression of nervous confusion. She went on, "That day you're talking about, I was only trying to help. The new professor brought you in. He had you in a cage and was explaining all of the benefits it would have in keeping the Animals from learning to speak. I lost it. I grabbed your cage and ran and I set you free in the woods, but I didn't stop to think how much the whole affair must have frightened you."

The Lion didn't seem to know what to make of this alternate version of the story. Voice shaking, he averted his eyes from Elphaba and said, "B-but I've heard what they say about you. The c-call you a wicked witch!"

Murmurs of disapproval rose into the air from the group of Animals that had gathered around them. Elphaba kept her expression neutral, but Fiyero could tell that hearing that title from the mouth of an Animal had hurt her. He said quickly, "Lion those are just rumors. I know because I believed them once too. But really once you get to know her you'll see that none of it's true."

Fiyero could feel Elphaba's eyes on him as he spoke, but he refused to look at her. He could feel his face growing hot under the scrutiny.

The Lion didn't seem entirely convinced, but he did seem to trust Fiyero and that was enough to calm him down for the time being. A couple of the other Animals took advantage of this and led the Lion away from the scene. Fiyero supposed he'd have to have another word with the Cat later on.

The rest of crowd dispersed now that the scene was over, leaving Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero on their own. The tension between them was palpable once more. Despite what Glinda had told him, Fiyero knew it would a while before things became okay between the three of them.

"You didn't have to defend me back there," Elphaba said eventually. She was obviously still perturbed by what had just taken place.

Fiyero shrugged. "I'm sure what you said is true, you never meant to frighten the Lion," he said.

This did not seem to lift Elphaba's spirits. She sighed and responded, "It doesn't matter what my intentions were. I seem to make an absolute mess of everything I touch whether I'm trying to help or not."

Fiyero opened his mouth to respond but was surprised when Glinda, who had been silent since they'd left the linen tent, beat him to it. "Oh for Oz sake Elphaba, this is no time to be throwing yourself a pity party. We make our choices and we have to live with them. The only thing we can do now is worry about what's ahead of us," she huffed.

Fiyero gaped at Glinda in shock. He had never heard anything like that come out of the blonde's mouth before. She was normally all smiles and charm and polite conversation. In all honesty, Fiyero had always considered her a bit of a ditz. Seeing her now though, he began to wonder how well he truly knew the woman to whom he'd been engaged.

Tearing his eyes away from Glinda, Fiyero turned a tentative eye toward Elphaba. He was sure that Glinda's comments would not go over well, and that it would spark another conflict that would have the two back at each other's throats.

To his surprise however, Elphaba did not snap back with an angry retort. Instead she was silent for a few moments before rising to her feet. She didn't even acknowledge Glinda's comments as she said, "We should leave as soon as possible. Every second we remain here puts the Animals who live here in greater danger. We should rest up for now and leave as soon as the sun goes down."

Fiyero nodded his head in response, but he was still mildly shocked. From what he knew of Elphaba he would never have spoken to her the way Glinda just had, and yet the blond woman's words seemed to be exactly what Elphaba had needed to hear. Fiyero was struck for the first time by the fact that Glinda had known Elphaba for much longer than he had. He wondered how close the two women had been before he'd inadvertently driven a wedge between them.

He was shaen from his train of thought when Glinda mentioned finding something to eat and wandered off, leaving Fiyero alone with Elphaba for the first time since she'd vanished before his eyes back at her old hideout. Before Fiyero could process this and say anything in his defense, Elphaba was upon him with the question he'd been dreading most.

"Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?" she asked. He could tell she had been waiting to spring this on him for a while.

Fiyero swallowed hard, not sure what he was supposed to say. He had known it would come to this eventually. He took a few moments to muster some courage and decided to go with the truth. "I didn't think it would matter," he said.

Elphaba didn't seem to know what to do with this information. "You didn't think it would matter?" she repeated, her tone suggesting that this had not been the correct answer.

Fiyero was hasty to elaborate. "What I mean is that I had no idea you and Glinda knew each other, so there's no way I could have foreseen the consequences," he took a deep breath before continuing, "And to be fair, you had me locked up. Indefinitely. I didn't even know if I was going to see her again so what did it matter if I told you about her?"

Fiyero knew he had a point, but he still regretted the words almost as soon as they'd come out of his mouth. Elphaba looked as though she'd been struck. She stood staring at him for a few moments, as though waiting for him to say something more. The look she was giving him was making Fiyero profoundly uncomfortable. She stared at him as though noticing something important for the first time. He squirmed a bit under her gaze.

"Oh Oz, I never meant for this to happen. I never wanted to be what they said I was. But I am, aren't I? You're right. I kidnapped you. I held you against your will with no intentions of letting you leave. As hard as I've tried to deny it, I have become the Wicked Witch," she said. She seemed distraught.

All that she had said was true of course, but they weren't things that Fiyero wanted to hold against her. He knew she'd only been fighting for her own survival against a guard sent to capture her. He opened his mouth to tell her as much, but Elphaba had already continued speaking.

"I am sorry for what I put you through. And I'm sorry I've dragged you and Glinda this far down with me," she said, glancing up to meet Fiyero's eyes. She went on, "But Glinda is here now, and you can set things right with her. You can tell her what really happened, that you were just trapped and confused and-"

She cut off abruptly as Fiyero clamped his hand over her mouth. "Don't you ever let anyone else talk?" he asked.

Elphaba looked indignant. Fiyero removed his hand a moment later, but before she could resume her tirade he swept in and kissed her.

It all came rushing back in an instant, the strange, wonderful feelings he only felt with Elphaba. For a moment she seemed to go rigid with shock, before she relaxed a bit and leaned into him. Fiyero moved his hands down towards the small of her back and pulled her in closer so that their hips were touching. Elphaba moved to place her arms around his neck, but in the next moment she gasped and roughly pushed him away.

Fiyero stumbled backwards slightly in surprise as Elphaba broke off the kiss abruptly. She glanced around wildly for a moment, as though to determine whether anyone had seen them. Fiyero followed her gaze and noted that there was no one around.

He turned back to Elphaba, but she was already preparing to make her exit. She still seemed slightly flustered, but her expression had turned neutral. She said, "We need to leave soon. I need to get the supplies together. You should get some rest."

And with that she darted off, leaving a dumbstruck Fiyero in her wake.

**So as I said, I'm just going to take some time to answer some reviews, since you lovely people took the time to write them too me. This may get a bit lengthy though, you don't have to read it. **

**musicalvampirelove: I'm glad you're sticking with me after the switch. I know you wanted to see what the original plan was, but I do honestly think that where the story is going now will be more coherent than the fuzzy ideas I'd had before. I hope you'll continue to read and enjoy the story.**

**deeplyshallow: I think my response here would have taken up too much space, so I've just sent you a PM. **

**Starlight1746: I am happy there are people who are discovering this story after the changes to Chapter 19, because I'm curious to see how people respond reading it straight through without any changes. But, since you asked the original end to chapter 18 had Fiyero stumbling across Elphaba's broken broom in the woods. Then, in chapter 19, he finds her badly hurt, obviously having crashed at some point because she was upset over everyting that had happened. He meets the Lion, who agrees to help Fiyero carry Elphaba to safety on his back. **

**There are a few reasons I ended up changing this. The first is because I didn't like how big of a coincidence it was that Fiyero would just stumble across Elphaba. True they were heading to the same place, but the Gilliken Forest is surely a large enough place that it would be unlikely he would stumble across one person. I also had still characterized the Lion as believing the Wicked Witch of the West rumors, so I didn't feel that he should be so ready to help her. Finally, I didn't like the implications that Elphaba would become so emotional she'd allow herself to lose control and crash. I feel that that's out of character with the way I'd chosen to write her. **

**To bluediamondsonagreenfield, elphabeckett and Elphanine, I'm glad you've just discovered this story and are enjoying it. To everyone else who's sticking with me, thanks again. I appreciate all of your feedback and I'm going to do my best to continue on with this. Until next time.**

**S.P.**


	26. An Unlikely Companion

**Hey all, thanks again for reading and reviewing! Special thanks to WhisperedMuse, because it was crazy cool to hear from someone who was reading this story back when it was first published six years ago.**

I actually have a quick question for anyone who's read this from the beginning recently. Have you noticed any change in the writing style from the early chapters to now? It's just something I've been curious about, but I can't really tell for myself, I guess since it is still all my writing in the end. I was just wondering if it had changed at all over the years.

**Well anyway, I don't think I'm super crazy about this chapter. It's more necessary to the plot than anything else, but writing it was a pain. Still, I hope you enjoy it. Either way the story should pick up a bit again after this. **

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Fiyero mentally kicked himself as he stared after Elphaba's retreating back. He shouldn't have kissed her. He should know Elphaba well enough by now to know that would have scared her away. He sighed. It was easy to spot that in retrospect, but in the heat of the moment he hadn't been able to help himself.

When Elphaba had vanished from sight around a corner, Fiyero pondered what he should do next. Perhaps it was better to give Elphaba some space for the time being. She clearly was still not quite sure what to make of Fiyero, and his unexpected kisses were certainly not helping matters. Hopefully he would get another chance to talk to her alone in the near future, but for now he decided to see about a meal and some rest before they left the camp at sundown.

Fiyero didn't know his way around, so he simply picked a random direction and began to walk. He was once again struck by the fact that places like these camps could exist so close to the Oz he knew. These Animals had been living out here for so long and most Ozians were oblivious. It was amazing how much ignorance had been bred by the Wizard's lies.

He wandered past a group of children playing with a slightly deflated ball. One of them was a Bear Cub, and Fiyero found his thoughts wandering to Lorgen and the other Animals at the first camp. He wondered how they were doing. That seemed like a lifetime ago now.

Fiyero watched their game for a few more moments before approaching them with the friendliest smile he could manage. Upon seeing him their giggles turned to silence, and they all watched him warily.

Fiyero gave a short wave and said, "Hi there, I was just looking for a place to get something to eat. Think any of you guys can help me out?"

There was a short pause, before a small Goat pointed shyly to a tent on Fiyero's left. Fiyero glanced over, then flashed another winning smile, thanked them and continued on his way.

Fiyero entered the small tent and looked around for signs of either Elphaba or Glinda, but neither woman was in sight. Fiyero supposed they had gone off in a different direction than he had. The inside of this tent appeared to be some sort of canteen. There were a few Animals scattered about at makeshift tables, some carrying on animated conversations as they ate.

Fiyero gratefully accepted a chunk of bread and an apple from the Cow behind the front counter. He was suddenly aware of how much time had passed since his last meal. He took a bite of his less than satisfying meal and sighed internally. The sooner they made it to Kiamo Ko, the sooner he would be able to get his life back to some semblance of a normalcy. At the very least, he would no longer have to spend the better part of his days traipsing through the woods.

Fiyero glanced around the room for a vacant seat, but he could already feel himself attracting unwanted stares. Not wanting to finish his meal under such scrutiny, he made his way back outside, biting into his apple as he went.

Fiyero glanced around again, not sure what to do with the remaining time he had to kill. It was only mid afternoon, and there was still a few hours before the sun went down. Fiyero decided the best course of action would be a quick nap, and had just set off to find himself some suitable accommodations, when he heard some rather loud and vaguely familiar sobbing coming from a nearby tent.

Perplexed, Fiyero followed the sound and poked his head in. As he'd expected, he was met with the sight of a rather distraught looking Lion. Startled by Fiyero's sudden appearance, the Lion yelped and toppled backwards off the stool on which he'd been perched.

"Lion?" Fiyero asked, somewhat confused as to why the large Cat was crying alone in his tent.

Oh, F-Fiyero," he stammered, looking abashed as he straightened up and replaced the toppled stool.

"Everything alright?" Fiyero asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow as he noticed the Lion had begun wringing his paws again.

The Lion paused for a moment, as though unsure as to whether or not he wanted to answer Fiyero's question, before he once again burst into loud and exaggerated sobs. "No everything's not alright," he choked, "I know you said that witch lady is your friend, but I can't help how s-scared I am. I've heard the stories they tell about her. They say she can kill you with a snap of her fingers! I've been jumping at every little sound. It's driving me out of my mind."

Fiyero shook his head, once again awed by the seemingly boundless scope of the Lion's cowardice. Although Fiyero could hardly fault him for being afraid of Elphaba. It was, after all, a fear Fiyero himself had suffered from only a short while ago.

In an attempt to calm the sobbing Cat, Fiyero said, "Well if it makes you feel any better, I don't think Elphaba's snaps are actually lethal. And anyway it doesn't really matter, we're going to be leaving at sundown and then you can relax."

Fiyero's words didn't seem to have the effect he'd intended. Upon hearing them, the Lion's head snapped up and he said quickly, "Wait, you're leaving already?"

Now Fiyero was genuinely confused. "I thought you just said-" he started, but the Lion cut him off.

"Well, I-I know. But just because I'm scared of the Witch doesn't mean I wanted _you_ to leave so soon," he said.

Fiyero rolled his eyes at the Lion's insistence on referring to Elphaba as 'the Witch,' but gave up on trying to correct him. Instead he responded, "Well I went out of my way to find her, so I'm not exactly going to let her slip away again. We're going to be travelling together from now on."

The Lion began twisting his tail between his paws, looking as though he wanted to say something more. Fiyero waited a few moments to see if the Cat would work up the courage on his own, but when he remained silent Fiyero prodded, "Yes?"

"Well…I was wondering if you'd mind terribly if I left with you?" he stammered.

Fiyero had no clue how to react to that. He was finding the Lion to be a somewhat contradictory creature. "You were just moaning over how afraid Elphaba makes you, and now you want to travel with her?"

The Lion seemed embarrassed. He twisted his tail around a few more times before responding, "I don't think the other Animals like me very much. I hear them whispering about me behind my back when they don't think I'm paying attention. They think I'm too cowardly for my age, and they got angry when I was too afraid to go off into the woods to help gather food. I don't think I can pull my weight the way they want me to. I don't want to stay here."

Fiyero did feel a bit of sympathy for the Lion's plight. He might be an insufferable coward, but he'd grown up alone and isolated from his kind and couldn't really be faulted. Fiyero knew he should probably consult Elphaba first, but against his better judgment he said, "Well…I'm sure it wouldn't be too much of a problem is you came with us. But again, you are aware that this means travelling with Elphaba too?"

The Lion gulped and nodded reluctantly. Fiyero stared at him for another moment before saying, "Well, alright then. We're going to be leaving at sundown. You might want to pack some supplies, because I think Elphaba's only gathering enough for three. I'm going to find somewhere to get some rest and I'll meet up with you again before we head out."

The Lion seemed nervous at the prospect of Fiyero leaving. "You can sleep here if you want. I don't mind," he said.

Fiyero glanced at the small cot in the corner, then back at the Lion before giving a tired shrug. He supposed it was easier than searching out an alternative. Without another word Fiyero climbed into the cot, sighing in relief at the much needed rest for his aching muscles. He dozed off as the Lion began busying himself with packing supplies.

By the time Fiyero awoke again the sky had begun to grow dark. He'd forgotten where he was, and started as he noticed the Lion sitting a few feet away, which in turn caused the Lion to jump at Fiyero's sudden movement.

Fiyero shook his head slightly and stretched his aching muscles. The Lion's makeshift bed might not have been Fiyero's ideal accommodations, but it was still worlds better than dozing in a pile of dried leaves. Still slightly groggy, he poked his head out of the tent and took a brief look around. He noted that it would most likely be time to leave soon, and that he should head out and find Elphaba and Glinda.

"We should get going," he said, voicing his thoughts aloud to the Lion before strolling out into the cool dusk air. The sound of footsteps behind him confirmed that the Lion had followed him with some measure of reluctance.

It only took Fiyero a few moments to spot Elphaba and Glinda. They had clearly been in the process of looking for him too. Each was carrying a small satchel, and Fiyero noted that Glinda had traded the slippers she'd been wearing for a pair of more practical hiking boots. If Fiyero hadn't already been certain that the blond woman in front of him, wearing baggy clothes, hiking boots and no make up, was the Glinda he'd known for years, he wouldn't have believed it. Still, he chose not to comment on it as he greeted the two.

"Are you ready to go?" Elphaba asked, slinging her satchel over her shoulder. She cast a slightly confused look somewhere to Fiyero's right.

Following her gaze, Fiyero turned and remembered that the Lion was standing behind him. He was standing a bit too close for comfort actually, and his large frame was shaking slightly. Fiyero supposed there was no hope that the Cat would actually speak up for himself.

"The Lion has asked to accompany us," Fiyero offered.

Elphaba seemed a bit taken aback, but she recovered quickly. For a moment it seemed as though she wanted to question the Lion, but she seemed to think better of it and simply said, "Well, I suppose one more can't make much of a difference."

With that she brushed past Fiyero and began to say her goodbyes to the Animals that had gathered to see her off. As they set off toward Kiami Ko, the Lion stayed pressed nearly against Fiyero's back, whimpering to himself all the while. Elphaba was out in front, leading the part as she always did. Glinda had fallen slightly behind. It seemed she had not yet figured out how to walk properly in her new, bulky footgear. Fiyero took a glance around at the lot of them and shook his head, wondering how in Oz he'd found himself in such strange company.

**And that's all for now! I have been making pretty decent progress lately, so I should have the next one up fairly soon. Til then.**

**S.P.**


	27. Stolen Conversation

**Hello again! I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this but I'm supposed to be studying for an anatomy exam, so clearly this took precedence. Thanks to all the peeps who read and reviewed, and to those who answered my question. It's cool to hear that my writing has changed. As I said I can't really tell, but I figured it probably should have after such a long time. Hopefully it's for the better. **

**Hope you like this one. I feel a bit unsure about it as far as the characterizations go, but hopefully you'll find it enjoyable.**

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If Fiyero thought their travel situation had been tense before, it was nothing compared to what had resulted from adding the Lion into the mix. Fiyero's heart went out to the Lion, it really did, and he supposed he might even owe the Cat his life, but after only a day of travel Fiyero was already beginning to regret asking him along.

The Lion had practically attached himself to Fiyero, a fact that Elphaba and Glinda seemed to find endlessly amusing, to Fiyero's growing annoyance. The large Cat seemed wary of Glinda and was absolutely terrified of Elphaba, despite the fact that she had shown him no ill will since he'd joined their party. In fact she seemed to have the most patience for the bumbling Animal, yet the Lion continued to act as though she were about to off him at any moment. Fiyero was rapidly growing agitated.

They did their best to travel under the cover of darkness. There was no telling if the Gale Force was still out looking for them, but it seemed very likely now that Glinda was involved as well. Still, thus far they had seen no sign of soldiers, and they were hoping to keep it that way.

Their first stop for rest had passed rather uneventfully. They made camp as dawn was breaking. The Lion put up a fuss at first, apparently too terrified to sleep when Elphaba was keeping watch, but upon seeing that his protests were going largely unnoticed he eventually gave in and settled for sleeping with one eye open. They still opted not to give Glinda a shift on guard duty, and she didn't seem inclined to argue. No one would say that it was because they didn't trust her skills as a sentry, but they all knew that was the primary reason.

So they split an eight hour rest into three shifts between Elpaba, Fiyero and the Lion, and afterwards they ate a quick meal and continued on their way again. For all their personal squabbles, it was strange how well the group could get along when they needed to. There wasn't a lot of speaking, but the ever-present threat of capture served to keep them working together.

When they stopped to sleep again after the second night of travel, Fiyero decided that he would finally find some opportunity to speak with Elphaba alone. They still hadn't spoken about the kiss back at the Animal camp, and Fiyero didn't want to leave the matter unresolved for much longer. He needed to know what was on Elphaba's mind.

Elphaba always volunteered the first watch, without fail. She never said anything, she simply watched quietly while the others prepared their makeshift beds and then she took up her post. Fiyero curled up on the ground as well and waited until Glinda and the Lion had fallen asleep. Once he heard their breathing grow even beside him, Fiyero crept silently from his spot on the grass.

Elphaba started and whipped around as Fiyero approached her, but visibly relaxed when she realized who it was. She seemed a bit confused by his behavior. "You should get some sleep," she said, "You have the second watch in a couple of hours."

Fiyero nodded, but responded, "Actually I just wanted to talk to you for a minute." Elphaba seemed to grow uncomfortable at the suggestion. Fiyero continued, "Look, about what happened at the camp. I'm sorry I- Well I mean, I just wasn't really thinking. I didn't mean to step out of bounds like that."

Elphaba studied him for a moment and then shook her head. "It's alright," she said. She didn't offer anything else, to Fiyero's disappointment. Not sure what else to say, he fell silent, and the two stood there like that for almost a minute.

Fiyero was still searching his mind for the proper way to break the silence when Elphaba spoke up. "You confuse me," she said simply. Fiyero glanced over at her in surprise but she wasn't looking at him, she was staring straight ahead.

Fiyero watched her for a moment before responding, "Well, I can't say I've exactly got you all figured out either."

Elphaba smiled a bit at that, and turned to face him. Her face grew serious again as she said, "Honestly though, I don't understand you at all. Back in the caves, back when- well, back when I was holding you prisoner, to not dance around it, I should never have agreed to let you get that close to me. Looking back on it, I realize that was completely out of character, but at the time it didn't seem strange at all, and that confuses me."

Elphaba spoke about the matter casually, not letting her voice betray any emotion. She was as offhanded as though they were discussing the weather. Fiyero wasn't quite sure how to respond, but he was glad she finally seemed ready to open up and talk about some of what had happened between them. He tried to hide his eagerness and thought carefully about what to say next, not wanting to ruin this chance.

After a few moments he said, "For what it's worth, and I know you may not believe me when I say this, I never lied to you."

At the pointed look Elphaba gave him, Fiyero added hastily, "Okay, so I never told you I was engaged, but that wasn't really a lie. Everything I said to you, I truly meant."

Elphaba looked at him for a moment and then replied, "You never mentioned that you were a prince either."

Fiyero was surprised by her comment; it was certainly not what he'd been expecting. He supposed at some point over the course of all that had happened she'd managed to piece together that particular aspect of his identity. He supposed he should have figured that out when she'd showed no surprise that his family owned a castle. He was once again unsure as to the proper response. "It never came up," he offered lamely.

Elphaba hardly seemed thrilled with this answer. "So now I've 'captured' the crowned prince of the Vinkus _and _Glinda the Good. Oz only knows what Morrible and the Wizard are saying about that," she sighed.

Fiyero supposed he hadn't really thought about that. Come to think of it, he did wonder how all of the events of the past few days were being explained to the general public. However, he pushed those thoughts aside, wanting to get back to their initial conversation. "Look Elphaba, I still- I don't know, I still have feelings for you," he said quickly.

Elphaba looked down at her hands. Fiyero could tell he was making her uncomfortable again. After a moment she said, "You know, I used to listen to Glinda talk about you all the time back at Shiz, after your families had decided you two would be married. We were roommates you know."

Fiyero hadn't known that. She was changing the subject again, but Fiyero knew so little about Elphaba's past that he was distracted and waited for her to continue.

"After, well, after I became the Wicked Witch of the West, I wasn't sure I'd ever see Glinda again, and I never imagined I'd actually meet you, let alone kidnap you. It's very strange trying to reconcile you with the Fiyero I used to hear so much about. You're not really quite like how Glinda used to describe you in college."

Fiyero winced. He could imagine how Glinda might have described him back then. "I'd like to think I've changed a lot since college," he said, though in the back of his mind he realized that might have been a fairly recent development.

"I imagine we all have," Elphaba said, and then fell silent.

They stood like that for a few more moments before Elphaba spoke again, "What's your castle like? Kiamo Ko?"

Fiyero was slightly upset they'd veered so far from what he so desperately wanted to discuss, but he decided to let it go for now. He supposed this was progress at least. "Well I haven't spent a whole lot of time there. We don't live at Kiamo Ko, though we did stay there a few times when I was younger. That's why I think we should be safe there. The only people at the castle full time are the guards, and they're loyal to my family, not to the Wizard."

Elphaba nodded. "If you don't stay at Kiamo Ko, where does your family live?"

Fiyero was slightly abashed as he answered, "We have another castle."

Elphaba only stared at him for a moment before smirking slightly. She shook her head and said, "Of course you do."

Fiyero continued, encouraged by the easy conversation, "I think you'll like it though. It's sort of old and ominous."

"What are you implying?" Elphaba responded. For a moment Fiyero thought he might have offended her, but he realized that she was smirking and her eyes were bright.

For a brief, fleeting moment Fiyero was tempted to kiss her again, but he shook his head to clear the thought away. Given the way that scenario had played out the last two times he knew it could only make the situation more difficult.

Instead he decided to play along, "Well, just that if you happen to be a discerning witch in the market for an evil lair, it's a prime piece of real estate."

Elphaba's eyes narrowed a bit at that, but she was smiling. Fiyero went on, "When I was younger and my cousins used to stay with us, we used to take turns locking each other in the north tower."

Elphaba's eyes lit up. "There's a tower?" she asked.

Fiyero was amused by how enthusiastic she seemed. "It has a spire and everything," he joked.

Elphaba seemed about to respond again, when suddenly her face grew serious and she held up a hand, signaling Fiyero to be quiet. Startled by the sudden change, he obeyed.

A look of concentration passed over Elphaba's face. After a moment she whispered, "Do you hear that?"

Fiyero strained his ears and after a moment he heard the sound she was referring to. It was the sound of boots on leaves. His heart rate quickened.

The look on Fiyero's face seemed to give Elphaba her answer. "Stay here with Glinda and the Lion. I'm going to take a closer look," she said.

And before Fiyero could respond, Elphaba had hopped on her broom and flown off.

**So yeah my primary concern was the bit of banter at the end there. Is it too soon for banter? I mean, I like banter so I hope it didn't seem too out of place. Anyway I'm still making decent progress, so hopefully I'll have the next one up soon!**

S.P.


	28. Disturbance

**Sorry this one took so long. It's been kind of a crazy week for me, and I'm also still working out some of the finer details about where I want this story to go. Thanks once again to everyone who's been reviewing. You're awesome and I love hearing from you. I hope you like this chapter, I think on the whole I'm fairly happy with it. **

**Also as I post this, this story has 399 reviews, which is a crazy number as it is. So, who wants to give me my 400****th****? You'll be super cool if you do!**

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Fiyero was slightly shell shocked. That seemed to happen to him quite often when Elphaba was involved. One second they'd been having a perfectly pleasant conversation and the next she was gone. He stood for a moment, trying not to panic as his mind raced.

He couldn't just run off and leave Glinda and the Lion on their own. They were fast asleep and would be unable to run or to defend themselves if someone found them. Yet at the same time Fiyero was just itching to run off after Elphaba. He knew that was the last thing she'd want him to do, but he supposed now was not the time to start taking that into account.

After a few moments Fiyero finally convinced his legs to move. He turned and ran back toward Glinda and the Lion. "You two! Get up! Someone may have found us," he said. He tried to say it loud enough to rouse them, but still kept his voice low enough that it wouldn't carry to those looking for them. He crouched down and placed his hands on Glinda's shoulders, gently attempting to shake her awake.

Glinda's eyes fluttered open. "Fiyero?" she mumbled. He could hear the confusion in her voice. To their right, the Lion shot up into a sitting position.

"Whozzat?" he shouted in alarm. Fiyero shushed him.

"Get up. We may be in trouble. There were footsteps nearby. Elphaba flew off to check it out," he said quickly.

The two were on their feet in seconds. Fiyero turned his head wildly, straining his ears for any sign of what might be going on. A moment later he could hear shouts coming from the direction Elphaba had headed.

The three looked at each other. Before anyone could react, Fiyero shouted, "Wait here!" and ran off towards the sound of the disturbance.

Fiyero sprinted for all he was worth. He stumbled as his foot snagged a tree root, but it didn't deter him. After a few moments he stopped, glancing around frantically again for something to tell him which way to go. He heard the shouting, slightly louder now, ahead and to the left. He took off again.

Fiyero was already breathing heavily by the time he could make out figures in the distance. As he came upon the scene, he leaned up against a tree for support and kept out of sight.

It was members of the Gale Force as they had feared, but to Fiyero's relief it appeared to be a scouting party. There were only five guards in the group. There were likely more men in the nearby area, but Fiyero hoped to be far away before they could call for backup.

The guards had their gazes fixed on the sky. Looking up, Fiyero could see Elphaba perched on her broomstick high above them. His heartbeat quickened. Apparently she hadn't been able to avoid being spotted.

Fiyero wasn't sure what to do. He wouldn't be a match for five guards on his own, especially without any kind of weapon at his disposal. He could run back and attempt to take Glinda and the Lion to safety, but that might mean losing track of Elphaba again, and Fiyero couldn't bring himself to risk it.

He was still running frantically through various scenarios in his head when the sound of a gunshot nearly scared him out of his skin. One of the guards was pointing his smoking rifle skywards. He had clearly panicked and fired his weapon without orders, for the four men around him seemed as startled by the sudden noise as Fiyero was.

Fiyero glanced upwards at Elphaba and was relieved to find that the guard had clearly missed his target. She hovered in place for a moment, and then in the next second she swooped down in front of the guards, clearly intent on taking advantage of their momentary confusion.

The next few moments were a blur of panicked shouts and motion. The one guard who had his rifle out had not yet reloaded, but the other members of the party were already reaching for their weapons. Fiyero found himself preparing to dart from his hiding place.

It was the sudden change in the air that stopped him. All at once it seemed to have taken on some sort of static charge, and the hairs on the back of Fiyero's neck stood up. He could see that Elphaba's hair and cloak had begun to whip around her, though Fiyero could not detect even the slightest gust of wind from where he was standing.

The guards had frozen in place, though it seemed to be from fear, not from magic. Fiyero could see now that they were all fairly young, possibly just out of training. Some of them were clutching their guns close to their chest, but they seemed to have forgotten how to use them. Elphaba, for her part, looked as menacing as Fiyero had ever seen her. She had pulled the brim of her hat low so that it cast an eerie shadow over her face, and the unnatural wind whipping at her clothes and hair only seemed to add to the effect.

In the next moment five rifles went flying in five different directions, ripped from their hapless owners' arms, and the last of the guards' courage seemed to fly away with them. Abandoning all sense of duty, all five men practically stumbled over each other in their haste to turn tail and flee. Fiyero found himself slightly appalled by their utter cowardice. Clearly whoever had replaced him as captain of the guard wasn't running a tight enough ship.

A loud crack split the air and Fiyero flinched and turned away involuntarily. For a moment he thought it was another gunshot, but the sound was different somehow. When he turned back to the scene it was to find Elphaba with one hand raised in the air and five guards sprawled across the ground in uncomfortable looking positions.

Elphaba began to look around wildly, as though she couldn't remember what direction she'd come from. Fiyero took that as his cue and stepped from his hiding place.

"Elphaba!" he shouted, waving her over. She seemed aggravated by his presence but not entirely surprised. She hastened her steps.

"Where are the others?" she asked. He could see she was slightly out of breath and her hair looked windswept.

"I woke them up and told them to wait where they were," Fiyero said, though he was not quite paying attention. He was distracted by the sight of the guards still lying in the clearing.

After a moment he asked tentatively, "Are they…." He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He didn't want to imagine Elphaba would carelessly murder five men in cold blood, but he realized he didn't actually quite know what she was capable of.

It seemed to take Ephaba a few moments to gauge his meaning, but when she did she looked affronted. "Of course not!" she said, as though it were the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard, "They're unconscious."

Fiyero nodded, trying not to let his relief show quite so plainly on his face. Without another word, he turned and began jogging back toward where he'd left Glinda and the Lion. He could hear Elphaba following behind him on foot, her broom tucked under her right arm. Fiyero realized how much this was slowing Elphaba down. She could have hopped on her broom and been miles away by now if she didn't have three tagalongs to keep an eye on.

They reached Glinda five minutes later, and Fiyero thanked whatever gods might be listening that he'd actually managed to find the way back. She seemed extremely anxious, and Fiyero noted with some apprehension that the Lion was nowhere in sight.

As he drew closer, Fiyero could see that Glinda was less than pleased with him. "Fiyero Tiggular, how dare you just wake us up and then go running off and leave us here!" she huffed, hands placed on her hips.

Fiyero winced and responded, "I'm sorry! I didn't really have time to think clearly."

Glinda didn't acknowledge his apology, but instead turned and directed her attention to Elphaba. She seemed to grow concerned when she laid eyes on her friend. Elphaba had paled considerably, and she was still breathing heavily from their brief jog through the forest. She looked as though she were about to collapse, and it seemed whatever Glinda had been about to say was momentarily forgotten.

In the small stretch of silence, Fiyero finally voiced his concern, "Where's the Lion?"

Glinda threw her hands up, exasperated. "He ran off! Fat lot of good he would have been if something had happened! He left me on my own without a second thought. We heard gunshots or something. It scared him witless and he ran off into the forest," she explained.

Fiyero glanced around, but he knew it would be near impossible to look for the Lion now. The Cat was faster than they were, and they had no idea which direction he'd gone. Fiyero could only hope the Lion had managed to get to safety and would be able to take care of himself.

After a moment, Glinda asked, "What happened anyway? What did you two find?"

Elphaba managed to answer Glinda's question in between her gasps for breath, "Just a small group of Gale Forcers, but there may be more nearby. We need to move." She was staring off into the forest, and Fiyero could tell she as also torn about leaving the Lion behind.

He could also see the state Elphaba was in. He imagined between the lack of proper food and rest, her display of magic must have taken a lot out of her. "Are you sure you're up to that right now? You look like you need to rest," he said.

Elphaba only narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm fine, and we don't have a choice. We need to put at least a fair amount of distance between ourselves and the guards back there. We'll stop to rest as soon as possible, but if we don't go now we'll almost certainly be caught."

Fiyero saw the truth in her words, but he was still reluctant to agree with them. Elphaba wasn't the only one looking worn out. None of them had really had a proper rest since the day before, and even then only for a few short hours. He wondered how long they could push themselves like this before someone gave out.

Still, there was no use arguing about it right now, and so Fiyero slowly began forcing his reluctant legs into motion. With one last glance behind to make sure they weren't being followed, the three of them took off toward Kiamo Ko once more.

**We're getting there, slowly but surely. I had a bit of fun with this one, because I enjoy writing Elphaba being kind of badass. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. See you next time!**

**S.P.**


	29. Kiamo Ko

**Hey guys, sorry this one took so long. I've been a bit busy now that finals are upon me, and I'm also getting a bit depressed as my college graduation looms closer. It kind of only hit me this weekend that I only have two weeks left, so I've been a bit on that sad side. **

**But anyway, thanks for your reviews, as always. Special thanks to RavenCurls for giving me my 400****th**** review. That's pretty cool, not gonna lie. Anyway, I hope you like this one. It's a little short, but the next one will be on the longer side to make up for it. **

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They walked quickly and in complete silence for what seemed like an eternity, though whether the silence was a product of fear or exhaustion was anybody's guess. Fiyero supposed it was a bit of both. They hadn't seen any signs of Gale Forcers since they'd left the other group behind, but they all knew that didn't guarantee their safety. They tried to veer left and right in their attempt to throw off any pursuers, but the strategy also added time to their journey.

Everyone was looking a bit worse for the wear at this point. They had been eating very meager meals and hadn't slept in almost 24 hours. Glinda in particular looked as though any step might be her last, though she hadn't said much in the way of complaint. Fiyero imagined she didn't have the energy for it.

It wasn't until they'd been walking for two or three hours that Elphaba halted their progress and deemed it safe enough for them to rest. It wasn't clear to what extent she actually believed that, but it was plain to see that their small group couldn't go on much longer in their current state.

When they stopped to make camp, Fiyero silently moved and took up his post for the first watch. Elphaba eyed him for a moment as though she might protest, but Fiyero held his ground and she eventually moved to make up a bed without complaint. Fiyero knew she would never admit it, but that spell had most likely taken a lot out of her, and she needed the rest more than he did at the moment.

When they began walking again, everyone seemed to be in slightly better spirits. Elphaba was the first to speak. "So I got a bit of information from those guards back there," she said. Elphaba directed her attention towards Glinda and said, "They kept shouting at me, asking where I'd taken you. It seems that Morrible and the Wizard have told everyone that I broke out of the dungeons and kidnapped you against your will. They haven't implicated you in my escape at all. If you want to, it should be safe for you to return to the Emerald City. If Morrible and the Wizard have opted to make you a victim in all of this, they can't very well turn around and arrest you when you get back. If you play along they should be inclined to restore you to your old position."

Glinda seemed to take a moment to process this new information, but after a time she responded, "I don't think that's the best idea right now. We've traveled a long way, and I don't exactly like the idea of trying to travel back on my own. I'm not even sure I could manage a bubble for that distance on a good day."

They passed out of the forest not long after that, and being out in the open without the dense trees to hide them seemed to make them all a bit ill at ease. However it didn't last very long, for they soon passed into the rocky, mountainous region that would finally bring them up to Kiamo Ko. Fiyero knew the path well, but the terrain was still difficult and made for slow going, especially for the now weary group of travelers.

When night fell they decided to sleep again, as it was too difficult to find their footing in the dark. They did manage to find a cave to hide out in for the night, which served to put their minds at ease even though they were quite certain no one had followed them out of the forest.

When they finally saw Kiamo Ko looming over them in the distance, Fiyero could feel the relief well up inside his chest. There had been times on this journey when he'd been sure they'd never make it, but now the end was in sight. The next ordeal was going to be explaining his presence and the strange company he was keeping to the guards on duty.

"Who goes there?" came the shout as they drew nearer to the front gates. Fiyero was aware that Elphaba had tensed and seemed ready to bolt at any moment. Swallowing his own apprehensions, Fiyero tried to look as authoritative as was possible in his current shabby state.

"Prince Fiyero Tiggular," he shouted back, his voice belaying a confidence he didn't quite feel.

Yet it seemed even unshaven and dressed in someone else's mismatched clothes, Fiyero still looked enough like himself for the guards to recognize him. "Master Fiyero!" one of them said as they snapped to attention.

Fiyero waved off the formalities and nodded to the two guards manning the entrance. They were familiar but he didn't know their names. They seemed surprised to see him, but it was nothing compared to the expressions on their faces once they laid eyes on Elphaba. Still, they said nothing, obviously trying as hard as they could to keep their attention focused on Fiyero.

"My uh…friends and I were planning to stay here for a while. I trust no one else has been here?" Fiyero said, ignoring the guards' discomfort.

For a moment it seemed that the men hadn't heard Fiyero, before one of them seemed to snap out of his daze and responded, "Uh, no sir, no one's been through here for months now."

Fiyero nodded again and beckoned for Elphaba and Glinda to follow him. The two guards opened the heavy doors for them, and then scrambled out of the way as Elphaba moved to pass them. Elphaba, for her part, seemed caught somewhere between being completely abashed and wanting to snap at them, but she said nothing as she and Glinda followed Fiyero into the castle.

The place looked exactly as Fiyero remembered it from the last time he'd been there, probably when he'd been around fifteen or sixteen years old. He pushed down the feelings of nostalgia and turned to face his travel companions, who had now become his guests.

"There are a good number of rooms in this castle, so you two can pretty much pick whichever one you like. I'm going to go talk to some of the other guards and then I'll see if any of my family members have left clothes here that I can offer you," said Fiyero.

Glinda nodded. She seemed thrilled just to be inside an actual building again. "Well all I'm concerned with right now is having a bath. I don't think I've ever been so filthy in my life and it's absolutely disgusting," she huffed.

Fiyero chuckled a bit and pointed her in the right direction, which left him and Elphaba standing awkwardly in the entryway. She seemed almost shy now, as though she didn't know how to act in someone else's home.

"So, which way is that tower you mentioned?" she asked.

Fiyero smiled. "I though you were joking," he said, teasing.

She returned his smile with a small one of her own and responded, "I would never joke about such matters."

They held each others' gaze for perhaps a few moments too long before Fiyero cleared his throat and said, "Take the first right upstairs, go to the end of the hall and then follow the ominous, winding staircase all the way up. You can't miss it."

Elphaba nodded at him and then turned and began to make her way upstairs. He watched her retreating back, the reality of the situation finally setting in. He was staying in his parents' castle with his ex-fiancée and a witch he had strange and confusing feelings for. He shook his head to clear the thought away for the moment and instead decided to focus on finding the head of the castle guard.

It didn't take long. As Fiyero watched Elphaba disappear at the top of the stairs, the portly captain came stumbling up to Fiyero, looking confused and quite out of breathe.

"Master Fiyero," he said, panting slightly as he straightened up and saluted, "Forgive me sir, we had no idea to expect you. Last we'd heard you were being held captive in the Emerald City."

Fiyero was slightly surprised by the news. He knew that rumors of his capture had been spread to lure Elphaba into the city, but he hadn't realized that meant the public would believe them as well.

"Is that the last word anyone's had of me?" he asked, wanting to know exactly where he stood in the public opinion.

The guard looked slightly nervous as he responded, "Yes sir, last I heard anyway. They said you'd been arrested for aiding the Wicked Witch of the West."

Fiyero wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so he decided to just be blunt. "Her name is Elphaba Thropp," he said, "And she's going to be staying with us for the time being, so try to treat her like any other guest."

The captain seemed confused by Fiyero's statement, "I'm sorry sir, who is Elphaba Thropp?"

"The 'Wicked Witch of the West' as you called her." he responded, ignoring the look on the guard's face, "Her real name is Elphaba Thropp." He let that sink in for a moment, and then he added, "Lady Glinda, my former fiancée, is with us as well. I believe she's just headed off to the bath chambers."

The guard sputtered a bit, still clearly trying to come to terms with what Fiyero was telling him. Finally he managed, "I'm sorry sir, you'll excuse me if I'm a bit confused."

Fiyero sighed, not feeling at all up to the task of explaining everything at the present moment. After a slight pause he responded, "Is it alright if I explain everything later? We've had a very long journey and I'm completely exhausted. For now, please inform the guards about our guests and tell them to be on their best behavior." With that he turned on his heel and began to make his way up the stairs, leaving the baffled captain in his wake.

**And we've finally made it to Kiamo Ko! I'm having a bit of fun writing the next chapter, so hopefully I'll be able to get that one up soon, though I can't promise anything with the work load I have right now. Still, I'll be off soon, and then it's nothing but free time for eight months until I go away to veterinary school in January! Til next time.**

S.P. 


	30. A Moment Alone

**Alright, so here's the next chapter! It's a bit longer than usual because I couldn't really find a reasonable place to stop. I hope you like it, it took me quite a bit of work to finally get it finished. I'm officially out of prewritten chapters and I've got a bit of writer's block regarding where this story is going next. I think at this point it's about 2/3 finished, but with all the stuff going on in my life right now I'm not sure when I'll have the time to work on the next part, so this may be the last chapter for a while.**

Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing so far! I never expected to make it all the way to chapter 30 when I picked this back up, so that alone has made me pretty happy. Well, hope you like this one.

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Fiyero stood at the base of the staircase that led up to the north tower, holding a few simple dresses that had once belonged to his cousin and debating whether or not he should make his way up. He waited for a few minutes, chewing his bottom lip in thought, before he final shook his head and began to climb the stairs. He soon found himself staring at a heavy wooden door. He took a deep breath and rapped on it hard three times.

There was a rusting sound before the door opened and Elphaba was standing before him. She seemed slightly confused by his presence. "Oh, Fiyero. Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Just wanted to see what you thought of the tower," he said awkwardly, struggling to sound casual, "And I found some clean clothes I think wil probably fit you."

Elphaba stepped aside to allow him to enter the room. "Well I have only been here for five minutes," she said, smirking as she accepted the proffered clothing. Fiyero had searched all of the castle's wardrobes for the darkest colors he could find in Elphaba's size. He was certain some of the dresses had been intended for funeral wear, but he doubted she would mind. After a moment she added, "I like it. It's spacious."

Fiyero stepped past the threshold and into the room. It looked exactly as he remembered it, including the heavy layer of dust coating every surface. There was some staff on hand to ensure that the castle remained clean, but so few people ever came up here that it had been fairly neglected over the years.

Fiyero glanced around and could see that Elphaba had already unpacked the few belongings she had with her. Her large spell book lay on the bed, next to her cloak and a few items of food they had not finished off on the journey. There were a few smaller books and papers stacked neatly on the desk, and her broomstick was propped up against the far window. Other than that, the room was bare.

"Spacious is one way to put it," Fiyero said.

Elphaba moved across the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. She began to unlace her heavy boots and pulled them off her feet, a look of relief spreading across her face.

"Oh thank Oz," she said, wincing as she rubbed her left foot, "I don't remember the last time I took these boots off." After a moment she allowed herself to collapse backwards onto the bed.

Fiyero hesitated for a moment, and then moved to sit on the bed next to her, leaving a reasonable space between them so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Elphaba looked up at him as he sat, but did not protest.

"So what's the plan now?" Fiyero asked.

Elphaba closed her eyes for a moment. "You seem to be assuming that I have one," she said with a sigh.

"Well like I said, we should be safe here for the time being. That gives you plenty of time to come up with one," Fiyero responded.

Elphaba opened her eyes and stared at him curiously. "And what exactly is your plan?" she asked.

Fiyero smiled slightly. "Well, considering how most of my plans have turned out up until this point, I thought I'd leave that to you."

Elphaba had a strange look on her face again. "Aren't you going to go home? I mean, I appreciate your letting me stay here, but there's no reason for you to remain in hiding with me. Even if you're still wanted by the Emerald City, you're the heir to the throne of the Vinkus, and they won't dare come after you now that you're here."

"You're probably right, but that's not my primary concern right now. For now I want to stay here and make sure you're alright," Fiyero responded.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. After a moment she said, "But don't your parents and the rest of the Vinkans believe that you're still locked up in the Emerald City? Don't you think that might cause some political tension?"

Fiyero thought about this for a moment. It was true that he hadn't really considered how his people or his parents would take the word of his imprisonment. He wondered if it was enough for his parents to consider taking some kind of action against the Emerald City. After all, the Vinkus was a proud land, and the people had always considered themselves mostly self-sufficient, even though they technically fell under the Wizard's jurisdiction. Fiyero knew they would be completely affronted to learn that their prince had been locked up without trial and without their consent.

"I'll send word to my parents as soon as possible," Fiyero decided. "I'll let them know what's happened and that we're staying here. It should at least put their minds at ease to know that I've made it back to the Vinkus."

Elphaba nodded but didn't press the matter further, though she was obviously still confused by his actions. After a moment she closed her eyes again and said, "I think I'd definitely like to take a bath whenever Glinda's finished. I don't even think I can remember the last time I had something more than a quick rinse in the river."

As she said this, Fiyero's mind jumped back to the time when he'd believed the rumors that water would melt her. It seemed absurd now that he'd ever thought that possible. He chuckled involuntarily at his own stupidity.

Elphaba glanced at him, looking slightly offended. "What? You think just because I'm a fugitive I enjoy being covered in a layer of grime?" she asked.

"Oh no, it's not that," Fiyero said quickly, "I was just remembering something the Ozians used to say about you. It just seems ridiculous now that I look back on it."

Elphaba propped herself up on her elbows, her curiosity piqued. "What do the Ozians say about me?" she asked. She was trying to sound casual, but Fiyero could see in her eyes that the question was more important than she let on. He was taken aback slightly. He hadn't thought Elphaba cared about public opinion all that much.

Now he felt sheepish, but he knew he couldn't deny her the information now that he'd brought it up. Feeling awkward, he said, "Oh, it's so stupid, really. You'll laugh when I tell you. Some of them believe that water can melt you."

He could tell that this surprised her, though she was still doing her best to hide it. After a beat she said, "What else do they say about me?" Her voice was soft, softer than Fiyero had ever heard it. He could kick himself for bringing this up.

"It's all stupid Elphaba, and none of it's true. It doesn't matter," he said quickly, attempting to backpeddle.

Elphaba's eyes bore into his own. She looked extremely serious all of a sudden. "Just tell me," she said. Fiyero squirmed slightly under her gaze.

He sighed and looked away, not wanting to see how his words would affect her. "Just stupid things. That you have an extra eye, that you can shed your skin, that you mutilated a bunch of monkeys or something…"

"I did mutilate those monkeys," came her quiet reply. Fiyero glanced back over at her in surprise and could see how completely dejected she looked. Elphaba continued, "It was an accident, but I did it. It was the day I met the Wizard, the day they branded me as the Wicked Witch. He and his press secretary, Madame Morrible, tricked me into performing the spell. They didn't tell me exactly what it would do, but it gave all of the monkeys wings, hurting them terribly in the process. I tried to reverse it, but it was already too late."

Fiyero didn't know what to say. He'd assumed something had to have happened between Elphaba and the Wizard to have her branded as a public enemy, but after actually getting to know Elphaba he'd discounted all of the things Morribe and the Wizard had said about her. He hadn't imagined there could be a measure of truth to any of it. Still, Elphaba looked so torn up about it that it broke Fiyero's heart. He tried to console her, "It sounds like it wasn't your fault then. It was the Wizard and this Madame Morrible person who are responsible. You didn't mean to."

Elphaba's smile was rueful. "Intetntions are irrelevant Fiyero. It's the actual consequences of our actions that we have to live with."

Fiyero was sympathetic. Elphaba had clearly been keeping all of this bottled up for some time. He hoped talking about it might help. "How many monkeys were there?" he asked.

Elphaba looked down at her hands. "I'm not really sure. Some of them were hidden from view. At least two dozen, I think."

Fiyero was a bit surprised, to say the least. "So you gave two dozen monkeys wings without even knowing exactly what you were trying to do?"

He said it with a measure of awe in his voice, but Elphaba seemed to take it as a sort of condemnation. She nodded slowly, unwilling to meet his eyes. The guilt was still clearly written across her face.

"Elphaba that's incredible," he said, genuinely impressed. "Exactly how powerful are you?" he asked.

She seemed almost embarrassed now that she had gauged his meaning. This was a subject she clearly didn't like to talk about. "I'm not really sure," she said. He could see a slight blush rising in her cheeks. "I've always been good at magic, ever since I was younger. I used to be unable to control it properly, but I think I've mostly gotten the hang of it now. That's why the Wizard wanted to see me in the first place. He wanted to use my abilities towards his own ends," she said.

Fiyero was slightly confused by this. "But why would the Wizard need your magic? Isn't he extremely powerful on his own?" he asked.

Elphaba let out a laugh so bitter that it startled Fiyero. "The Wizard has no real power at all. He's a fraud who uses nothing but fear and lies to keep control over Oz," she said.

Fiyero was taken aback yet again. He remembered Elphaba had said some less than pleasant things about the Wizard before, but the idea that the most powerful man in Oz had no actual power was almost too much for Fiyero to wrap his head around.

Something dawned on him. "So wait a minute. If you have all of this power and the Wizard has none, why haven't you used it to fight him? Why have you spent all this time on the run? You have that spellbook and all, surely they wouldn't be able to stop you if you decided to..." he chose his words carefully, "…enact a regime change."

The way Elphaba bean shaking her head immediately suggested to Fiyero that she had thought this through before. "Just because I might have the ability to do something like that doesn't give me the right. I may hate the Wizard and everything he stands for, but I can't just go around making decisions like that," she said. She was looking straight into his eyes, her face dead serious. It sent chills down Fiyero's spine. "And if I did…something like that, what good would come of it? Oz would be left without a leader, in a state of complete chaos. And then I'd really be a monster."

Fiyero was struck again by how young Elphaba was. She looked so much like a girl now. She was younger than he was, and she was sitting here discussing the problems with assassinating the leader of their country.

"What about Glinda?" Fiyero suggested, only half joking, "The people of Oz certainly respect her. I'm fairly certain they'd all throw themselves off a bridge if she suggested it."

Elphaba smiled sadly. "Trust me when I tell you that Glinda wants no part of any of this. I asked her to come with me you know. That day, before I ran, I practically begged her. It was ridiculous of course. She stayed behind and married you, and I went off and became the Wicked Witch of the West, for all the good that's done," she said.

Fiyero hadn't known this either. He'd never heard any of this from Glinda in all the time he'd known her. "I hadn't even realized Glinda was with you when you met the Wizard. She never mentioned any of it," Fiyero responded.

"Yes well, I imagine she was trying to forget," Elphaba said sadly, looking back down at her hands. Suddenly feeling bold, Fiyero reached out and took one of her hands in his own. She looked up at him in surprise, her wide brown eyes boring into his own. Fiyero felt his heart rate quicken.

"Listen Elphaba, I know you may not believe me. It seems like you've spent your entire life trying to convince yourself that all of the awful things that have happened to you are your fault, or that you deserve them somehow, but it's not true," he said, willing her to believe him.

Elphaba looked away, pulling her hand from his as she did so. A curtain of hair fell over her face, hiding it from Fiyero's view. Without a second thought he reached out and brushed the stray hair behind her ear. She seemed surprised by his action and turned back to face him. Their eyes met again, and he could see how desperately she wanted to trust him.

His determination growing, Fiyero continued, "You are not evil. You're not wicked. You're stong and you're determined and you're beautiful, and just because most of Oz can't see that doesn't make it any less true."

She ducked her head away again. "You don't have to lie to me," she said softly.

Fiyero placed one finger under her chin and gently lifted her head until their gazes were locked once more. "It would never lie to you," he said. His heart was aching with desire for so many things at once: for her to believe the things he was telling her, for the ability to wipe away all of the pain and insecurity that had accumulated over the course of her difficult life, to be able to kiss her right now and not have her pull away.

And though wanting all of those things at once was nigh on delusional, Fiyero was shocked to find them at least partially attainable as, with one quick motion, Elphaba closed the short gap between them and kissed him.

It was the first time she had shown him such open affection, and Fiyero was almost startled in the split second before he was under her spell once more. The kiss was brief and shy, but there was almost a note of deperation in the way she pressed her lips to his. Fiyero understood because he felt it too, the way he was drawn to her, the overwhelming feeling that this was what they were meant to be doing.

Fiyero was completely lost in the moment, and he was utterly disappointed when Elphaba pulled away from the brief kiss only moments later. She looked up at him, her cheeks flush, her eyes nervously searching his own. A small smile graced her lips, and then she slid from her place on the bed and the moment was over.

Elphaba smoothed her tattered dress slightly, then said, "I really should go take a bath. I'm sure even Glinda must be almost finished by now."

Fiyero nodded, his mind still buzzing from their brief and unexpected contact. She made her way towards the door, grabbing one of the clean dresses Fiyero had provided for her in the process. She turned back around to face him as she reached the door.

She still seemed slightly embarrassed. "I don't really know my way around…" she trailed off. Fiyero smiled at her unspoken question, hopped off the bed and followed her out of the tower.


End file.
